Judge, 1906-02-10 · page 16 of 16
Judge — February 10, 1906 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This six-panel comic strip follows "Nervy Nat," a working-class character attempting an elaborate prank on "the Duchess of Vealandham," apparently a titled noblewoman. Nat plans to mail himself to her in a giant Valentine's Day envelope, viewing this as romantic and poetic. The satire targets class pretension: Nat romanticizes his scheme as "idyllic," while practical working people (a shop-girl, postmen, a police officer) view it as absurd or troublesome. The joke hinges on the gap between Nat's delusional aspirations toward upper-class courtship and the crude reality of his stunt—essentially posting himself as an oversized, heavy package. The humor reflects Edwardian attitudes about class crossing: his presumption to court a duchess through such an undignified method is inherently ridiculous to both the nobility and the working class. The exaggerated dialect reinforces stereotypes about each class.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nervy Nar—"*St. Valentine never used to forget me. It was often ‘two cops with but a single hobo, two clubs that beat as one.” Are not those lingerie valentines lovely? | never got that sort some kind friend always sent me one of those chronic ones. Well, I believe I'll do a stunt this year “— 3. Snor-cint—"' There you har, sir. My! ain't you a bit of a wag!” Nervy Nat—‘Right‘o! Now. after I'm in, address me thus my valentine, her grace the Duchess of Vealandham, Park Lane, W."”” Her crace Topo.eron — Ing so." Nexvy Nat—""'Tis your valentine, oh, peerless peer may be really peer-less, for, although I'm not as ar T would waive all that for you. Coruna 190687 JURE CONPANY PUBLISNERS, E25 JQURTH AE. Mw YORK f ucHEss—"* Good gracious, Toddleton! what's this ?” Heaven only knows, your grice. if you pardon my s'y- Thope you marrying man, NERVY_NAT'S_ VALENTINE Nervy Nat—"'I say. Genevieve: | want you to help me in a bit of a rum go. Get your jolly little shears and your jolly little paste-pot and a jolly big piece of paper: then make me a ripping big envelope. Don't wut I'm going to jolly well post meself as a bally valentine to the indham—eh, what?" “Lord love a duck!" of Vei ‘Sor-cirt- a win, GIRST Fostuan—""Hi s'y, Bill, some cove Is ‘avin’ ‘er grice on a it, eb 2 Secon pitro—"*Quoite loikely, Hedward. This ‘ere henverlope ‘s that "eavy Oi shouldn't wonder if it was chuck full 0° scrap-iron.” Nervy Nat—" Just my luck to have my fingers under the spot they 6. Orricer Suimm—" So you've bean annoyin’ of our harlstocracy this time, eh?” Nexvy Nat—‘Hush, man! What do you poor clods know of the higher feelings? What could have been more poetical in conception and execution than my valentine offering? It'was {dyllic, and of course its pristine beauty was lost on a materialistic people." TO THE DUCHESS.