Polly and Her Pals — 1925-02-03

Cliff Sterrett launched *Polly and Her Pals* in 1912, making it one of the longest-running family strips in American newspaper syndication. This four-panel daily shows Paw's comic humiliation: first Polly recounts a neighbor's jealous remark about him, then Paw bursts in from outdoors — bundled absurdly in heavy winter gear — crowing that women can't resist him, only to arrive at a desk where he sheepishly asks 'Miss Ginger' if he may take one of her auburn hairs home on his coat lapel. Sterrett's draftsmanship is notably assured: expressive silhouettes, confident cross-hatching, and dialogue balloons whose placement drives timing like a silent film edit. His Sunday pages would grow into some of the most formally adventurous art-deco compositions in all of newspaper comics.