A Striking Likeness

This colored print depicts a schoolroom scene where two boys sketch an exaggerated caricature of their teacher on a blackboard while a third boy mocks the drawing. The schoolmaster enters from the right, switch in hand, unaware of the insult. The composition uses spatial arrangement and character positions to build narrative tension—a comedic setup common to 19th-century popular prints. Though not a newspaper comic strip, such imagery helped establish visual storytelling conventions that would shape the sequential art form: distinct characters, clear action, and humor derived from visual gags. The print employs caricature as its central comedic device.