By the late 1870s, Aestheticism had become a favored subject of parody in England's Punch and Fun—magazines specializing in comic commentary on contemporary characters. Writers for the magazines felt it their duty to mock what they saw as an "aesthetic" school of poetry and art; caricatures created by Punch generally had long hair, wore strange costumes and spoke in an archaic, allusive language. Early in his career, Gilbert had contributed articles to Punch, and so was fully in his element when he set about drafting his satirical spoof on Aesthetic poets, entitled Patience, or Bunthorne's Bride. Gilbert employed some of the same caricatures found in Punch because he knew his audience would find them familiar.

Patience opened in London at the Opéra Comique Theatre on April 23, 1881. During its 18-month run (578 performances), the production transferred to the new Savoy Theatre, constructed expressly for presenting Gilbert and Sullivan's works.

Based on Gilbert's earlier Bab Ballad (a type of burlesque), The Rival Curates, Patience revolves around two rival poets, Reginald Bunthorne and Archibald Grosvenor, which some contemporaries thought to be caricatures of Oscar Wilde and Algernon Swinburne. (Although Gilbert avoided clear references to any particular poet, he did write Bunthorne's verses in Swinburne's style.) Bunthorne lives in a castle with his family and enjoys adding up his receipts. He even states that if he had the Elysian Fields, he would rent them out. Grosvenor, on the other hand, is an idyllic poet and "true" aesthetic, who despises money. Conflict arises when both try to woo the same woman, who has neither money nor social standing; in the end, Grosvenor abandons his appearance of aestheticism. However, the Heavy Dragoons, the philistines of Patience, also depend on appearances, certain that their uniforms will attract women. When this does not work, they dress up as poets; like Bunthorne, they are phonies. Gilbert's satire was not aimed at the "aesthetics" as much as at their fawning followers, represented in Patience by 20 love-sick women.

Costumes and much of the set were designed by Gilbert, who wanted lush and beautiful surroundings for his characters. Much as he did with his libretto, he patterned the visual aspects of Patience after works of contemporary artists.

Patience was both a critical and popular success; the reviewer of the Athenaeum considered the libretto "as near perfection as possible." Others, however, were put off by Lady Jane's "Silvered is the raven hair." They found the lines, "There will be too much of me / In the coming by and by," when sung by the overweight Alice Barnett, to be distasteful. Sullivan asked Hugh Conway to write new lyrics (which piqued Gilbert), but the new version sold very few copies. Nonetheless, songs culled from the operetta became very popular, and the production inspired clothing, Christmas cards and tableware.

Sullivan's score, not one of his most popular, was considered by some contemporary critics as "ponderous" or "churchy," which is what the story demanded. Bounce and ebullience do appear, however, in entrance of the "Soldiers of Our Queen," and the carefree telling of "The Magnet and the Churn." Most comical is the duet, "So Go to Him and Say to Him," with its choreographed dancing and gestures. The Heavy Dragoons have appropriately manly, swaggering choruses that betray their macho emptiness. Sullivan's orchestration is brilliantly colorful in Patience; one of his most elegant touches is the syncopated clarinet line in the quintet, "If Saphir I choose to marry."

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