From the exhibition
Bringing Up Father — 4 August 1925
· Daily strip, 4 August 1925

George McManus's *Bringing Up Father* ran from 1913 to 2000, making it one of the longest continuous strips in newspaper history. This six-panel daily follows the familiar domestic war between Jiggs, the stout, newly rich Irishman in a checked suit, and his imperious wife Maggie. Here Jiggs announces household expenses are too high; Maggie responds with economies of her own; Jiggs objects; she threatens to strike him; he mutters 'Rats'; she calls him a brute. McManus's line work is elegant and economical — decorative wallpaper patterns, stylish costuming, expressive silhouettes — reflecting his background in Art Nouveau illustration. The strip's speech balloons, recurring cast, and daily gag structure were foundational conventions that early comic-book editors and artists, including Jerry Siegel's generation, absorbed wholesale from the syndicated newspaper page.
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