Judge, 1904-12-24 · page 6 of 16
Judge — December 24, 1904 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This six-panel comic strip mocks the era's epidemic of American heiresses marrying impoverished European aristocrats. "Nervy Nat" is a scheming con man posing as a French viscount to exploit wealthy Americans. The satire targets both the fraudulent nobleman (Nat exploits his fake title to secure marriage dowries and annual allowances) and American social climbing—the wealthy families' desperation to acquire foreign "nobility" for their daughters, even knowing these men are broke and disreputable. In panel 5, Nat temporarily develops a conscience, admitting he's a hobo with a criminal record. But by panel 6, arrested by Officer O'Toole, he reveals the scheme's core: rich Americans are so eager for status they'll bankroll obvious con artists. Judge uses this character to ridicule both European aristocratic pretension and American nouveau-riche gullibility during the Gilded Age.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nervy Nat—"' By Jove! wouldn't that give youa slight indisposition ? Here's an account of some busted dago count marrying an American girl with the distinct understanding that she pays his roiten debts and guaran- tees him ten thou. a year. Now, wasn't that poor, inadequate Lizzie an easy mark—eh, what? Sa-ay! that's my cue. Me a foreign nobleman! My debts wouldn't stack up very altitudinous, but, heavens, Maud! what couldn't I do to ten thou. a year!” Nervy Nat—"t Monsieur and Mademoiselle Coldplunx, how do you are? You remember me—yes?—the vicomte de Jardin de Paris? “Do - you not recollect ze last summaire—we meet at Longchamps—and I per- mit you to lend me five zousand francs? Ah, what a blowing to my pride zat my face is forget by you! I have been so busy refusing offaires of marraige by American ladies lately zat my personal appearance has been, as you see, quite neglect. I give my face into ze hands of ze barbaire Soon to scrape; zen you will not be ashame to be seen wiz me—yes?"" Sea Nervy Nat—"‘Ah, you charm me off what you call my perch. Ze belle Americaine does not give ze cold-storage fin to a foreign nobleman. No: I zink not. As I told my long-life friend, ze duc de Moulin Rouge, ze American lady will gladly allow ze foreign nobleman to walk on her neck so long as she is permit to pay his debts—yes? It is as tt should be. One cannot get ze noblesse in America—you must be content wiz ze low- born pup on zis side of ze drink. It is only on ze old country you find ze bluing in ze bleed.”* Nervy Nat—" Back up, old man! Take back the swag! I can't do it. [have had a revulsion of feeling. 1 am no more a French viscount than you are. I have been playing a part. It’s all off. Cash in your tickets. I have done some pretty low business in my day. Some call me ahobo. The very dogs in the alleys have better records than I. But, by Jove, old hoss! I'm not quite such a candidate for the pound as that. Ring for the police. But if you feel that you'd like to do something for me before | go, a bottle of Bass and a cheese sandwich would find a haven of rest in my bosom—eh, what?” 4. Nervy Nat—"'Let us get down from business. Your daughter ts nutty to become ze vicomtesse de Jardin de Paris, For myself, | consent marry her, alzough I am not what you call beetle-house about it. Some peopies of 'my family have had bad attacks of matrimony and some did not recovaire; but | am what you calla devil-might-care. To speak as ze unsharpened pencil of lead, I need ze money. And if ze daughter has to go wiz it—well, every rose has got carpet-tacks on it. Give me a cheque for feefty zousand dollaires and we will call it oblong.” 6 Orricer O’Toote—'' Nat, th’ ould man says yez hov been thryin’ t’ git money under false pretinses.”” Nervy Nat—“' O'Toole, the trouble with lots of these rich Americans is this: they are only too anzious to give something for nothing. That's probably too deep for you; but, then, you are only a policeman," ‘ comicbooks.com