Polly and Her Pals — 1917-05-17

Four panels track a social comedy of manners: a dapper man tries to persuade the formidable, broad-shouldered Maw to take an airship ride; she declines, nerves still shattered from yesterday's shock. He pivots and offers the honor to the other ladies present — getting a flat refusal from each. A large, imposing woman finally volunteers, flattering him enormously; he retreats, stammering that he couldn't possibly class himself with the illustrious Steve Broady. Sterrett's linework is confident and economical, using silhouette and exaggerated body language to carry the joke panel to panel. *Polly and Her Pals*, launched in 1912, was among the earliest newspaper strips built around a recurring female protagonist, helping establish the daily comic strip as a venue for character-driven domestic comedy — the direct ancestor of the comic book format that would crystallize by the late 1930s.