![Punch bank - Brannam circa 1920](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a8b614_108d133182fa4f4c9fdf2562ba239cd7~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_280,h_419,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Image-place-holder_edited_edited_edited_.jpg)
Punch bank produced by Brannam of Devon, England, circa 1920. "Punch and Judy" is a popular British glove-puppet show for children, featuring Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. The puppet plays were introduced into England from the continent in the seventeenth century. Punch, a hunchback with a hooked nose, strangles his baby, whereupon his wife, Judy, hits him with a bludgeon until he retaliates and beats her to death, then flings the two bodies into the street. A policeman, doctor, priest and hangman are introduced to the plot for Punch to beat and kill. At the end of the show he either defeats the devil or is swallowed by a crocodile-like creature, providing a moral ending. The show is traditionally performed by a single puppeteer, known as a professor, who, of course, can only perform two characters at a time.
Maker:
Brannam
England
circa 1920
Model #:
Derivative
bank
Size:
medium
Height:
3 1/2"
![Punch bank - Brannam circa 1920](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a8b614_2a45e7b4e138402e84df87292a6f42e8~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_229,h_344,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Image-place-holder_edited.jpg)