Keeping up with the Joneses

To answer Jeff’s question from this morning:

According to The Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson, the origin of this phrase is rooted in the popular comic strip of the same name created by cartoonist Arthur R. “Pop” Momand. The strip debuted in 1913, ran in American newspapers for 28 years, and eventually was adapted into books, films, and musical comedies. The “Joneses” of the title were neighbors of the strip’s main characters, and were spoken of but never actually seen in person.

It is possible that Momand named them in reference to George Frederic and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander Jones, parents of novelist Edith Wharton. However, it is most likely that this phrase derives its meaning from Pembroke Jones, shipping and railway industrialist of the early twentieth century. Jones, of Wilmington, North Carolina, was a leader in both New York and Newport social circles well known for hosting lavish parties.

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeepingupwiththeJoneses)