Who is Punch from London Labour and the London Poor and what is their importance?

Punch was a puppeteer, named after the main character in the universal street puppet show, Punch and Judy. A gaunt man dressed in raggedy clothes, Punch had seen better days working as a footman for a gentleman. He was about 50 years old in the story and had been a puppeteer for half his life. He worked as an assistant to another puppeteer until he saved enough money to buy his own puppets and portable theater. Then, he presented the show on the streets, as well as for private audiences at parties including the birthday parties of the children of wealthy families.

The two-act Punch and Judy play had a standard format, although this Punch varied it to include more comedy, more sentiment or more tragedy, depending upon the audience. He could earn up to one pound per day presenting the play at various parks and streets around the city.