Oh! Margy!

John Held, Jr.'s Oh! Margy! exemplifies the visual wit of 1920s newspaper comics. The strip uses sequential panels and speech balloons to deliver its joke through contrast: a side-by-side comparison of Native American scalp-collecting practices with the modern flapper's fashion accessory choice—fraternity pins on belts. Held's economic line work and figure drawing showcase the graphic economy essential to daily comic strip production. His recurring character Margy became emblematic of Jazz Age youth culture, while his stylistic influence on comic strip illustration helped establish the visual language that would become foundational to the emerging comic book medium.