From the exhibition
Militant Mary
· February 13, 1914
A single-panel comic featuring a young woman with styled hair and confident posture. The character speaks directly to readers about St. Valentine's Day, expressing concern over what gifts she might receive and reassuring herself that her friends have never disappointed her. The strip uses the visual conventions established by early newspaper comics: a bold outline frame, hand-lettered dialogue in a speech balloon, and simple line drawing. *Militant Mary* exemplifies the humor strips that populated Sunday newspaper pages in the 1910s, when recurring characters and their romantic predicaments provided weekly entertainment. The title itself reflects the era's interest in the "New Woman"—independent and outspoken—a figure who appeared frequently in comics of this period.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain
