Before there were LOLcats, there was the art of Victorian photocollage.

Today’s Wall Street Journal features an online slideshow of whimsical assemblages created by highly creative women in 19th century England. These images, which place human heads on animal bodies and assemble bizarre dinner parties in painted landscapes, are taken from the exhibition “Playing with Pictures,” which was organized by Elizabeth Siegel at the Art Institute of
Chicago and is currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through May 9.

As the Journal notes, these works were created in a society “known mostly for being formal and stuffy;” however, they often reveal a cutting wit and true appreciation for the absurd. Check out the accompanying exhibition
catalog for more, but in the meantime, enjoy the lulz.