This daily strip is from the very first year of Peanuts. Charles Schulz's characters of that time were not as clearly defined as they would come to be - they are obviously shorter and more along the lines of Schulz' initial vision- but the early examples clearly stand out as some of the warmest and most tender images he ever laid on paper.

At first, Schulz wanted to call the strip Li'l Folks, but the syndicate insisted that he rename the submitted work Peanuts. Over the years, he would express his dissatisfaction with the name, but he did learn to live with it. The debut was on October 2, 1950. Many people find this next fact hard to believe, but it only debuted in seven newspapers. By 1984, it was in over 2,000.

One of the nicest aspects of Peanuts is what never really appears in it, Adults. The cast is comprised entirely of children. Adults may appear off-stage or be referred to in conversation, but they never actually show up. Instead, Charlie Brown and the gang are often seen acting with adult-like feelings, emotions, or reactions. This original daily highlights Schulz skill at putting these concepts across. It also serves as a wonderful reminder of Schulz skill with perspective. The first panel is a full-figured close-up of Charlie Brown walking with Patty. By limiting the reader's view to only the two children, Schulz is giving us an intimate look into their friendship.

Charlie Brown opens up with a simple declarative sentence, he likes September. In the next panel, when he opens up with a reason why, Schulz opens up the space by adding the details of where they are walking. The two of them are passing along a sidewalk that is bordered by a few trees. As the reader's view opens, so does our understanding of why Charlie Brown would say what he does, he has been inspired by his surroundings. For the next panel, Schulz gives us a side view that reveals where they are now walking. There, at the top of the slightest hill possible, he is on top of the world. That hill may mirror Charlie Brown's positive feelings and his stated elation. As Patty is descending to a more flat level, she delivers the reality of September to him. The last panel now places them both on a sidewalk. The hard concrete of reality has hit Charlie Brown and he is now down with the rest of the world. In four brief and disarmingly simple panels, Schulz has reminded us all that life is balance. One minute you are up, the next you are down.

The art work is framed. The gold frame measures 34 7/8" long by 12 5/8" high. The image area of the strip is 27" across by 5" high. The strip itself has some light pencil outlines visible. This is especially apparent in the third panel, where a complete image of Patty is seen about a quarter of an inch behind. These pencils show some of the possibilities that Schulz considered as he was drawing. The third panel also contains tow light spots that look as if someone had laid a small fingertip on the panel at some point. They are located to the right, above Patty's head. They are not distracting and only really evident when you realize they are there. There is a fold in between the second and third panel, but it does not ruin the look of the piece. The fold does have a 1/32" chip missing 1" from the bottom. Lastly, there is one very important note. The copyright sticker along the left side of the last panel is incorrect. It appears to have been taken from another 1950 United Feature Syndicates strip and applied to this daily. This daily is accurately dated as having appeared on September 10, 1951. The syndicate sticker appears to have been applied many years ago. Rather than destroy the integrity of the piece, or cause damage to the art itself, the incorrect sticker has been left on.