Judge — December 22, 1883 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Lock Them Up! The Loafers Who Annoy our School-Girls" This 1883 *Judge* cartoon satirizes street harassment of young women. The main illustration depicts a well-dressed man in a top hat accosting a schoolgirl on a city street, while two other men loiter nearby with dubious intentions—one posting what appears to be a notice or advertisement. The satire targets "loafers": idle men who congregated on streets to harass and intimidate young female students. The cartoon advocates for legal action ("lock them up") against these harassers, framing their behavior as a public nuisance requiring intervention. The social concern reflects late 19th-century anxieties about women's safety and independence, particularly as more girls attended school unaccompanied. The cartoon uses satirical outrage to support protective measures against street harassment.