Gale's Conception of Himself

This cartoon by E. W. Gale depicts the title character's inflated self-image through exaggerated physical proportion—an elongated body with an impossibly tiny head crowned by flowering thoughts. A smaller figure clings to Gale's hand, remarking "Jee! he flatters himself!" The single-panel gag employs visual distortion as its primary comedic device, a technique common in newspaper illustration of the era. Gale's work appeared in the Los Angeles Times, contributing to the graphic humor tradition that predated and shaped the comic strip format. His satirical approach to character study and the reliance on visual metaphor—the flowery crown suggesting vanity—reflect the emerging visual language that would define twentieth-century sequential art.