The World Turned Upside Down (18th century)

A series of woodcuts from an 18th-century chapbook entitled The World Turned Upside Down or The Folly of Man, Exemplified in Twelve Comical Relations upon Uncommon Subjects. As well as the amusing woodcuts showing various reversals (many revolving around the inversion of animal and human relations) there is also included a poem on the topic. The chapbook is reproduced in the wonderful Chapbooks of the Eighteenth Century (1882) edited by John Ashton, which brings together hundreds of facsimiles of 18th century chapbooks upon a huge range of subjects.

Enjoyed this piece? We need your help to keep publishing.

The PDR is a non-profit project kept alive by reader donations – no ads, no paywalls, just the generosity of our community. It’s a really exciting model, but we need your help to keep it thriving. Visit our support page to become a Friend and receive our themed postcard packs. Or give a one-off donation. Already a supporter? A huge thank you for making all this possible.

Support PDR
RightsUnderlying Work RightsPD Worldwide
Digital Copy Rights

No Additional Rights

  • Labelled “Not in Copyright” by source
  • We offer this info as guidance only
DownloadDownloadRight click on image or see source for higher res versions
Found ViaFound Via

Erin H