Bringing Up Father — buf371228

Four panels in George McManus's *Bringing Up Father*, running daily since 1913. Here Jiggs—nouveau-riche Irish-American, ever reluctant to work—is installed as secretary by the imperious Sir Von Platter, who rattles off a cascade of office tasks. Jiggs responds with eager agreement, then immediately forgets every instruction, prompting the strip's closing gag: a question mark floating above his head and a sheepish admission. McManus's draftsmanship is ornate and precise: Art Nouveau flourishes on wallpaper and clothing, elegantly hatched shadows, and expressive silhouette work. Speech balloons flow panel to panel in the fluid shorthand McManus helped standardize. Launched before the comic-book format existed, strips like this one supplied its essential DNA—recurring characters, sequential panels, and visual comedy driven by timing rather than prose.