Throwing the Bull (Happy Hooligan)

This poster advertises a 1918 film featuring Happy Hooligan, a tramp character whose antics delighted newspaper readers since 1900. The composition captures slapstick action: the protagonist tangles with a charging bull while spectators in bowler hats watch from the arena stands. The artist uses bold black line work and selective green wash typical of early twentieth-century comic illustration—a visual language inherited from newspaper strips. Happy Hooligan strips pioneered recurring character comedy and dynamic panel layouts that became foundational to comics. By 1918, these newspaper characters had crossed into film, demonstrating how comic art shaped popular entertainment across media.