John Leech watercolor sketches

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16912, John Leech watercolors, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
.04 Cubic Feet 1 legal folder
Creator:
Leech, John, 1817-1864
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16912, John Leech watercolors, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains eight original pen, ink, and watercolor sketches with initials by the English caricaturist John Leech (1816-1864). Illustrated roughly around 1840, each illustration depicts his observations of daily British life of the lower and middle classes: on the street, in taverns, and at home. All contain captions related to the image, and some have titles in addition to their caption. These titles include "A Speculation," "On the Boulevards," "A Toothless Trio," "A Learned Trio," and "The Moustache Movement."

Biographical / historical:

John Leech (1817–1864) was an English caricaturist known for his contributions to Punch the weekly humor and satire magazine, as well as the first illustrator of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. Leech was born in London in 1817, the son of the landlord of the London Coffee House on Ludgate Hill. He studied at Charterhouse School, where he met his life-long friend, the novelist, William Makepeace Thackeray. He continued his studies of medicine, at the age of sixteen, at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, before leaving his studies to pursue an artistic profession. His first publication was 'Etchings and Sketchings, By A Pen, Esq.' (1835) and he joined Punch in 1841, regularly contributing to the magazine until his death. His illustrations included political cartoons, social caricature, scenes of everyday life and sporting works. Aside from Punch, he contributed to many other illustrated periodicals including The New Monthly Magazine, The Illuminated Magazine, The Illustrated London News and The Field. He died at the age of forty-seven in London.

Resources

"Leech, John." Benezit Dictionary of Artists. 31 Oct. 2011; Accessed 11 Jul. 2025. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/benezit/view/10.1093/benz/9780199773787.001.0001/acref-9780199773787-e-00106434.

"John Leech." Encyclopedia Britannica, revised March 21, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Leech.

"John Leech."Lambiek Comiclopedia. Lambiek, revised October 6, 2024. https://www.lambiek.net/artists/l/leech_john.htm.

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased from Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers by the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on 18 September 2024.
Physical description:
Good
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard