A complete issue · 321 pages · 1891
Sealed Lips
A complete, restored issue of Penny Dreadfuls from 1891 — all 321 pages of cheap serialized Victorian sensation fiction — crime, horror, and lurid melodrama, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.
A complete issue · 321 pages · 1891
Sealed Lips (Bouche Close), translated from the French of Léon de Tinseau by Anna Dyer Page, depicts the aftermath of a triumphant operatic premiere in Paris. The central figure is Antoine Godefroid, an accomplished composer whose new opera "Constantin XII" has just achieved success at the Opéra. Following the performance, Godefroid encounters his old friend Patrice, recently arrived in Paris from Lyon, impoverished and seeking work. The narrative establishes contrasts between Godefroid's artistic triumph and social position against Patrice's financial struggles and modest prospects. Speculation arises among theater staff concerning Godefroid's relationship with the opera's debutante lead, Jenny Sauval, who performed the role of Princess Adossides. The serial comprises thirty-two chapters following the unfolding romantic and social entanglements that develop from this reunion between the two friends.
Each page has its own page — the cartoon, who’s in it, and what the satire means.