“The Drain Demon. — A Hard case” from the 1880 “Fun”

The Drain Demon. — A Hard case

John Frank Sullivan [?]

Fun (19 May 1880): 202

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In the first frame the cartoon tells us that “the English Builder is a really upright man when above ground, ready to spend his little all on making his houses comfortable and beautiful,” but, as, the next panel explains, “beneath the basement floor there lurks a noxious Demon.” The third panel explains that when the Builder goes down to look to the drains, “a fearful struggle always ensues.” [continued below]

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On the next row we learn that the “Demon conquers. ‘Break off the drain pipes — so,’ he commands. ‘No connection with sewers — obey!” When the District Surveyor (“a good and innocent young thing” drawn as a kind of doll or puppet) appears, he’s assured that everything’s “all right, you may be sure.” When the official tries to check beneath the floor boards, “the Demon throws dust in his eyes,” so the report reads, “all satisfactory.” “But the unhappy Builder!” the last panel concludes, “Even in old age is he haunted incessantly by that relentless Demon who has warped his ways! Wretched, wretched Builder!” The last panel, which depicts the builder as having become a demon himself, shows demon and (demonic) builder enjoying wine and wealth.

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Last modified 10 May 2016