Old Flames by Nell Brinkley

Nell Brinkley's *Old Flames* exemplifies the Sunday newspaper comic strip at its height. The strip combines ornate pen-and-ink illustration with sequential narrative panels and integrated text—a hybrid form between fine art and graphic storytelling. Brinkley's elaborate decorative border frames the central image of a woman whose face anchors an associative composition of objects and vignettes: romance, memory, and social scenarios. Below, three horizontal panels show characters in conversation, advancing the plot through both image and caption. This approach—ornamental, densely detailed, narrative across multiple panel types—was characteristic of early 1910s comics. Brinkley's work reached millions through syndication, helping establish the visual and structural conventions that would define the emerging medium of comic books.