From the exhibition
The Apotheosis of Puck
Taylor, Charles Jay, 1855-1929, artist · May 6, 1896

C. J. Taylor's full-spread centerfold celebrates *Puck* magazine's 1,000th issue with a triumphant allegorical procession: the personified Puck—a young figure in formal dress—rides a rearing Pegasus while brandishing a lithographic pen trailing a ribbon banner reading "1000th Number!" Cherubs (Puck's recurring sprite-mascots) escort him with floral garlands and herald trumpets. Above, a crowded gallery of caricatured public figures—politicians, celebrities, and social types lampooned across nineteen years of issues—waves in approval. The accompanying verse celebrates Puck's longevity with self-congratulatory mock-epic rhetoric.
Taylor, Charles Jay, 1855-1929, artist Public domain