John Samuel Pughe (3 June 1870 – 19 April 1909), was a Welsh-born American political cartoonist, best known for his illustrations for Puck magazine.
Early life and education John Samuel Pughe was born in Dolgelley, Merionethshire, Wales, and brought to America by his parents when he was two years old."Week by Week" Weekly Mail (22 May 1909): 6. He studied art at Cooper Union.Historical Society of Pennsylvania, "Politics in Graphic Detail: Exploring History Through Political Cartoons" (digital exhibit, 2015).
Career J. S. Pughe illustrated news stories for the New York Recorder, Brooklyn Life, and the Brooklyn edition of the World as a young man.Don Carlos Seitz, Training for the Newspaper Trade (J. B. Lippincott 1916): 127-128."Brooklyn Life Art Exhibition and Sale" Brooklyn Life (October 3, 1896): 2. via Newspapers.comUntitled brief note, Brooklyn Life (August 18, 1894): 6. via Newspapers.com He began working at Puck magazine in 1894. He was a regular contributor there until his last cartoon for them, in December 1908."What Fools These Mortals Be! John S. Pughe" Puck 65(26 April 1909): 2.
Personal life Pughe died in 1909, age 38, at Lakehurst, New Jersey, where he had been spending several months to improve his health."Obituary Notes: John S. Pughe", The New York Times, April 20, 1909. Accessed May 12, 2017.
Work by Pughe were included in a 2015 digital exhibit, "Politics in Graphic Detail", created by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. A lithograph of a Pughe cartoon was also included in "Between the Lines", an exhibit at Duke University Libraries in 2013–2014."Between the Lines" Duke University Libraries, November 2013 to February 2014.
Selected works
References