B/W print; Punch and Judy show in Leicester Square, by Topical Press, 1926

A crowd watches a Punch and Judy show in a street in Leicester Square. Punch is waving his truncheon at a dog. In that era it was common to see live animals used in shows. Here the spectators are mostly adults. Over the following decades the show was increasingly aimed at children, rather than being produced as entertainment for the public. In the background, the store Stagg and Mantle is visible. This was a ladies' dress shop in Leicester Square that specialised in robes, silks, costumes, mantles, linens, and stocked furnishings.