Judge, 1904-07-09 · page 7 of 24
Judge — July 9, 1904 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a six-panel comic strip depicting a prank by the character "Nervy Nat" on a gentleman bathing in a brook. Nat's "joke" involves stealing the man's clothes with assistance from a woman ("Miss Hardface" or "Miss What's-her-name"), leaving him stranded and embarrassed. The humor derives from early-20th-century slapstick comedy: the victim's humiliation, his desperate attempts to retrieve his dignity, and the prankster's eventual comeuppance. The final panel reveals an "anti-climax"—the prank backfires when the victim physically retaliates against Nat, scattering the gathered crowd. The satire appears mild, targeting no specific political figure or social issue. Instead, it's generic comedic entertainment typical of *Judge* magazine's lighter offerings—physical comedy and social embarrassment played for laughs among middle-class readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
a Nervy Nar—" Now, there's a candidate for the nut college—sousing around in that beastly wet water and thinking he's having a good time! Funny things people will do for pleasure! I will have to put up a little Joke on him," Nervy Nat—"'The very thing! Ah, Miss Hardface, well met, in- deed! Come with me to the gurgling brook, and with your assistance | will have the laugh on the misguided gentleman therein.” name. You know you simply refused point blank to walk, so what was | Nexvy Nat—"‘Here are your clothes, Mr. Man, Don’t you know to do? If you had objected to my carrying you, you should have any better than to go in swimming here? Why, this lady here is so spoken up.”* shocked she is speechless!" 5. 6. Batner—"‘Confound these women, any way! Why don’t they stay Barner—"That for you! You think you're the fine and dandy joker, away from here?” don't you?” Nervy Nat—" Well, sir, | haven't had such a good laugh since the Nervy Nat—"'I thought at first {t was going to be quite a good joke, police force had the measles!"” but somehow there seems to be a sort of an anti-climax.” NO. 32.—NERVY NAT'S LITTLE JOKE. ber ree = “ee OYE ; a. 5, @ | 7 Y , ‘ 3. 4 Nervy Nat—"' Pray don't mind my seeming familiarity, Miss What's- Batuer—"‘Here, you! What the dooce are you doing?” Cs : } 5 7 |