Puck Magazine

Puck Magazine (1877-1918) was the creation of Austrian immigrant Joseph Keppler. In St. Louis in 1870 and 1871 Keppler put out German-language periodicals, but both failed. After experience in New York City working on the well-established Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly, in 1876 Keppler tried a German-language satirical magazine called Puck. It found support among backers who wanted it written in English. In March 1877, the first issue of Puck in English appeared—sixteen pages long and selling for ten cents. Readers liked the cartoon satires, which were rare in American periodicals at that time. Keppler continued to publish Puck in German, but in fifteen years he had switched to English only… read more >