From the exhibition
Top O' the Mornin'
· May 7, 1905

W. D. Nesbit's Sunday page demonstrates the full visual vocabulary of early newspaper comics: multiple self-contained gag strips stacked vertically, each with its own title, characters, and punchline. Recurring figures like Little Henry and the Jazz Bells inhabit separate narratives on the same page, while single-panel jokes and text-heavy anecdotes fill remaining space. Speech balloons, varied panel compositions, and expressive figure drawing convey action and dialogue across diverse humor formats—from domestic mishaps to urban encounters. This layout typified the Sunday supplement era, where comics were assembled from many short features rather than unified narratives, establishing the modular design principles that would shape comic books for decades.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain