'Flora Flirt Gets An Easter Egg Lesson'.
Katharine P. Rice, also spelled as "Katherine P. Rice", was an early to mid-20th century American fashion illustrator and newspaper artist, notable for her short-lived moralistic romance comic 'Flora Flirt' (1913-1914) in the Philadelphia North American. The comic stands out for its taunting depictions of a flirtatious young woman, who always gets her comeuppance in the end.
Early life and career
She was born in 1878 as Katharine Patterson Rice in Wilmington, Delaware as the daughter of an architect. Her talent for making pen-and-ink sketches did not go by unnoticed, and received honorary mentions in The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1898 and 1899. She studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts from 1902 to 1904, and then returned to Wilmington. She made a living by making fashion drawings for supplements of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Colorado Springs Gazette and the Evening Tribune from Providence, Rhode Island, among other papers.
Presentation of Flora Flirt in The Houston Post of 9 March 1913.
Flora Flirt
Between 23 February 1913 and 12 April 1914, Rice's color comic 'Flora Flirt' ran in the Sunday sections of the Philadelphia North American, and was additionally distributed to other papers by the North American's syndicate, including The Houston Post. It was presented as a text comic, with narration in rhyme printed underneath the six-panel sequential images. The basic plot was quite risqué for the time period. Flora is a young, attractive, unmarried woman, who attracts many suitors. Like her nickname implies, she is not afraid of trying to seduce any male who crosses her path, regardless whether he's already engaged or married. Sometimes they even downright cuddle or kiss, either outside or on a sofa.
But Flora's "immoral behavior" is always punished in the final panel, something that editors even felt obliged to tell their readers about beforehand. In the introduction ad for 'Flora Flirt' (pictured above) "careful mothers" are assured that they "need not fear that their young daughters will follow Flora Flirt's example" (...) the lesson that eyes are made to behave is quite convincingly taught." Still, 'Flora Flirt' didn't last long. Perhaps too many readers complained, or the gimmick quickly ran too thin.
Later life and death
In 1917, Rice married the artist/illustrator Samuel L. Schmucker, whom she had met at the Academy. Schmucker (1879-1921) became well known for his postcard illustrations for the Detroit Publishing Company, while Katharine (now known as Katharine Schmucker) largely disappeared from the spotlight. She should not be confused with Samuel Schmucker's niece, the painter Katharine Muhlenberg Schmucker (1884-1966). A widow since 1921, Katharine P. Rice spent her final years in San Francisco, where she resided in the Hotel Victoria. She passed away in September 1955 at the Alexander Sanitarium in San Mateo County, California.
'Flora Flirt' in The Oregon Daily Journal of 14 March 1914.