Punch, or the London Charivari, May 6, 1914

This is May 6, 1914. Three months before Europe plunged into war, British humorists were still skewering fashion faux pas and political squabbles with devastating wit. Punch magazine, the undisputed king of satirical illustration, delivered its weekly assault on pretension and pomposity, and this issue captures Edwardian England at its most sparkling and self-satisfied. Within these pages, you'll find sharp commentary on the Home Rule debates tearing Ireland apart, sly observations about foreign monarchs' peculiar shopping habits, and the kind of social mockery that only the English could render both cruel and hilarious. The cartoons that accompany these pieces are period pieces in themselves, documenting a world of top hats, afternoon calls, and absolute confidence in the permanence of things as they were. Read this issue and you're holding a time capsule. The laughter hasn't aged a day, but the world it mocks vanished within weeks, making every joke feel precious and strange.