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Satirical illustration from E H Shepard. Original artwork signed by the artist. Originates from the Shepard family's own holding. Ernest Howard "EH" Shepard (1879-1976) was a popular cartoonist, perhaps most famous for his illustrations of Winnie the Pooh in the famous books by A.A. Milne. He is also known for bringing to life the characters in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Shepard famously regretted illustrating Winnie the Pooh, as he felt it overshadowed his work as a political cartoonist. The artist worked as a cartoonist for Punch magazine from 1921 until 1953, and his work is often thought of as somewhat gentle and uplifting. Fellow cartoonist John Jenson once said "Shepard moved from strength to strength, increasingly able to impose his quiet humour on otherwise grim and humourless topics." This original, signed drawing measures 8¼" x 7¾" and is mounted to an overall size of 15" x 15". The ink drawing, which is extremely detailed, shows Mr Punch standing is his living room which is adorned with Christmas holly. Mr Punch is holding a copy of a newspaper whose headline reads "COAL DISPUTE" and looking at Toby the dog who is holding an empty scuttle and pointing to the small amount of coal on the fire. EH Shepard has autographed the original drawing in the bottom left hand corner. The drawing is a reference to the dispute that resulted from the Coal Mines Reorganisation Commission's proposal to regulate the production and supply of coal, and merge small mines. Headed "VOLUME CXC", it is thought that this particular drawing was used as the front cover of the volume of Punch magazine January to June 1936. This rare piece comes from the Shepard family's own holding. This is a delightfully detailed piece of cartoon art from one of the world's best loved illustrators. E H Shepard market Sotheby's December 2012 auction of the Michael Winner collection realised $1.8m, with the world record for E H Shepard's work set at $224,505 by a fantastic early depiction of Pooh with Christopher Robin. As a result of the sale and the huge media attention it garnered, the market for E H Shepard's drawings has never been stronger. However, the current popularity of Shepard's work has resulted in the market being awash with counterfeits.