flemish
Explanation
This comic is a historical anachronism joke. A woman in a period dress (likely 17th century) is caught by someone who asks: "Princess! Why is there a master Flemish portrait artist under your skirts?" The hidden artist, peeking out, complains: "Fah! Just two more weeks and I could've sent this to Lord Southampton and received its equivalent in return!"
The caption below reads: "Sexting was way harder in the 17th century."
The joke is a simple but effective anachronistic comparison. It imagines the 17th-century equivalent of sending nude photos: commissioning a Flemish master painter (the Dutch and Flemish were renowned for their portraiture during this era) to secretly paint an intimate portrait under one's skirts, then mailing it to a romantic interest. The humor comes from the absurd logistical difficulty -- weeks of posing, a whole person hiding under a dress, and the formal mail system -- compared to the instant, effortless nature of modern sexting. The mention of "Lord Southampton" adds a historical flourish (the Earl of Southampton was famously associated with Shakespeare and romantic intrigues). The artist's frustration at being discovered "two more weeks" before completion adds a layer of comedy about the patience required for pre-digital romantic communication.