Judge, 1906-06-30 · page 16 of 17
Judge — June 30, 1906 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a six-panel comic strip following "Nervy Nat," an American character visiting the Jardin de Paris, a famous Parisian nightclub/garden venue. The satire mocks both the pretentious European establishment and the brash American tourist. Nat sneaks into the exclusive garden, gets indigestion from fancy French food ("squeezed duck"), and becomes physically ill while trying to appear cultured. He mangles French phrases, offends waiters and patrons with his loud behavior, and generally causes chaos—culminating in property damage and his eventual expulsion. The humor derives from the contrast between Nat's determination to experience refined European culture and his inability to behave appropriately. Judge magazine frequently satirized American tourists abroad as uncouth and culturally ignorant, while also mocking European snobbery. The character's name itself—"Nervy Nat"—signals his cheek and audacity. This represents early 20th-century American anxieties about social class and international sophistication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1. Nervy Nat—Can one gain admission to yon garden of classic and refined revelsy? If one has the chilly coin one can-can: otherwise one can't-can't. Still, there ts a tree with one inquisitive limb hanging over the fence—and one Is not too rheumatic to clamber up. And sulting the action to the monologue ""—— 3. Nervr Nat—"'‘Oh, mother! Well, of all the-— Sa-ay! will you look at that? Oh, merciful prunes! this {s no place for Naihanlel. For Pete's sake! did you ever see such a—— Well, can you beat that? Why did I stay in London’ so long? Oh, dear—ch, dearle me! Talk about your Flatiron ""— 5. Cuonus or vitacers—"Ma fol! Vollal Parbleul Johnnyget- yourgun! Eh blen! Wot'tel! Gosh!" Nexvy Nat—"' Oh. certainement! That's all very pretty and pictur- ve, but It's far from being descriptive. The phrasiny the Jacal olor is on the blink | could sum up the w! one compact, self-olling word, but it would be lost of 2. Nerv Nar—" Wish I had refused that‘ squeezed duck ° at Frederic’s. “Tis an insult to a lordly dinner to scramble about like this within the ‘quart d’heure '—which is French for ‘so darn soon.’ But | really must see this place where the heartless American youth takes his gray-haired male parent to get his lid kicked off.”” 4. Nexvy Nat—"Stung! Some one get a dustpan and a broom. And, If It Is not too late a full-grown man's size mattress, for I'm coming, Father Abraham, and don't forget to send some one to meet me Capuc— zat you disturb ze pleces, eh?” Nervy Nat—"* Nossing of ze kind, Say, you've got me talking that kindly dribble along in French; then | wouldn't have *Comrmisnt 1906 BY sVO6E COMPANY PUBLISMERS, 226 FOURTH AVE, EW YORK. comicbooks.com