Lady in Colonial Dress Striking a Gentleman with Her Fan

This pen-and-ink sketch by Swedish-American artist Thure de Thulstrup captures a moment of social comedy in colonial-era dress. A woman in period gown swings her fan at a uniformed gentleman, their figures rendered with quick, economical lines against a wash background. Thulstrup, a prolific illustrator for *Harper's Weekly* and other major publications, worked in the tradition of 19th-century newspaper illustration that directly preceded the comic strip. His dynamic figure work and narrative clarity—the ability to convey action and character instantly—influenced the visual language emerging in early comics, where sequential panels and expressive poses became the foundation of the medium.