Polly and Her Pals — PO361210

Titled *Rose-Colored Glasses*, this four-panel daily strip by Cliff Sterrett follows the rotund, besotted Paw as he woos a plump neighbor woman, while bystanders gossip that Maggie and Mike are finally getting engaged — only for Maggie herself to loom into frame, outsizing all speculation. The final panel delivers the punchline: someone suggests gifting Mike reducing glasses so he can see past Maggie's scale. Sterrett launched *Polly and Her Pals* in 1912 for the Hearst syndicate, making it one of America's longest-running comic strips. His late work grew increasingly abstract — cubist backgrounds, bold ink patterns — influencing a generation of cartoonists. These syndicated dailies, reprinted and collected into pamphlet form through the 1930s, are among the direct precursors to the comic book as a distinct format.