I just love looking at McManus's art! His work was so popular at the time - he was one of a small number of Cartoonist superstars - that I don't think it would be a stretch to say that his design influence was a major factor in Art Deco in the USA. From this chronological distance its not obvious but he used his designs to emphasize his social commentary. Contrast the outrageously decadent dresses hats shoes and furniture with Jiggs in his socks, singlets, braces and uncombed hair. When was the last time you saw a strip cartoonist put this much effort into their drawing? Mind you the rewards at that time made it worth it.
Re 'Social commentary' - completely unthinkable in 2021! And this was only the beginning of George's run!
Yes. McManus was making fun of the pretentious neuveau- riche social climbers in US society of the late 1800s, and, especially, the first 2 decades of The 1900s, by having poor, simple, uneducated, fun-loving and somewhat boorish, lower class, Irish Jiggs, marry a pretentious, status-seeking, would-be social climber of a woman, and have the misfortune of having to restrict his most comfortable behaviour (pub drinking, pool playing, getting drunk, sloth, etc), to pretend to be a cultured, successful businessman, so his wife and similarly-behaving daughter wont be embarrassed in front of their bettors, because of his vulgar behaviour.
It reminds me very much of The BBC sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances (which certainly owes a lot to Maggie and Jiggs).
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Topic: Re: Bringing Up Father 02 (Read 202 times)
