The Main Puppet Theater. Accompanying text describes the image as follows: “In the almost natural reproduction above, an attempt is made to make a theatrical representation of the current immortal era. And this illustration was necessary given the decline of the puppet masters, at other times intelligent artists and dear to the people.” I cannot do justice to the municipal politics being satirized here, but the text indicates that they want to show how people dealt with the cholera.
The sign refers to the “Heroic defense of Bari” in autumn 1910, featuring an “Extremely hilarious farce lasting many months,” with “Terrific prices!” What drew my eye was of course the clystères employed by the officials disinfecting the streets, a device oft encountered among our images.
(Pss… Pss…, Bari, 1910)
Sic Transit Pestilentia 