Bringing Up Father

George McManus's Bringing Up Father was one of the most popular and internationally beloved comic strips of the early 20th century, and by the 1920s it was a fixture of newspapers around the world. Its comedy sprang from a reversal-of-fortune premise: Jiggs, a working-class Irish immigrant, had come into sudden wealth, but longed only to sneak away from his mansion to eat corned beef and cabbage and play cards with his old pals. His wife, the formidable and socially ambitious Maggie, was forever trying to drag him up into high society — often by hurling crockery.

The strip is remembered as much for its look as its gags. McManus rendered Jiggs and Maggie's world in a crisp, elegant style rich with Art Deco interiors, fashionable clothes, and stylish architecture, giving the domestic comedy a distinctive visual polish.

The eternal tug-of-war between Jiggs's humble roots and Maggie's social climbing gave the strip a warmth and consistency that carried it for decades. It exemplifies how the 1920s strip could build enduring characters whose personalities — not just their pratfalls — kept readers coming back day after day.