Monday, November 10, 2014
Obscurity of the Day: Twas Ever Thus
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I'm not sure why Harry Palmer named this strip Twas Ever Thus, a phrase that usually signals a look at the common annoyances of life. A feature like They'll Do It Every Time or There Oughta Be a Law would seem to be in order, but what we get is a strip about a love-crazed kid who will do anything for his gorgeous girl, Darling. Well, anything that will land him in hot water, anyway.
Darling, who you can bet has a list of beaus a mile long on her dance card, plays along with our boy's badly planned schemes. She's out for whatever she can get in the here and now. If he wants to hatch schemes and play the bigshot, that's fine with her as long as he comes across with the occasional fancy dinner and extravagant gift. Who can blame her? Soon enough, in 1910s America, she'll be a harried hausfrau, juggling a brood of screaming kids and endless domestic duties. Her looks will swiftly fade, her curves will change to frump, and she may well end up a widow when hubby goes off to fight in the Great War. Good for you Darling, get it while the gettin's good.
Harry Palmer cartooned for the New York Evening World from 1909 to 1912, and then falls off my radar. His main draw is his ability to draw very pretty doll-like girls, and all his strips featured these beauties in abundance. Weekday strip Twas Ever Thus ran for over a year, from January 22 1910 to April 8 1911.
Thanks to Cole Johnson for the scans!
Labels: Obscurities
Comments:
I think the title is quite apt. Darling leads him a merry chase, but as you suggest, she is leading a bunch that way. He has ideas that aren't completely thought out...The parrot is the smart one in the strip.
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