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| They're just friends. |
Lucy and Sophie Say Good Bye was a short-lived comic strip that appeared in the Chicago Tribune in 1905. Seriously, it didn't even last a year. It started in March 1905 and ended in October 1905. For years, the artist for this strip was unknown until being discovered it to be Robert J. (R.J.) Campbell who probably opted to not sign his work due to wanting to be more known as a serious artist.
Campbell became an advertising artist after his time with the Tribune and continued in that fashion until sometime in the 1930s. Born in 1874, Campbell would pass away in 1938. Sadly, Campbell was also an alcoholic which led to the dissolution of his marriage in 1915.
Lucy and Sophie Say Good Bye is unique in that it portrayed a same-sex relationship. Though it is not specifically acknowledged, casual readers could just assume these two ladies are close friends or former roommates, and not lovers.
For a tad more information on Lucy and Sophie, you can take a look at Barnacle Press which includes a link to Twitter about discovering who the artist was.
