Judge, 1885-06-13 · page 1 of 16
Judge — June 13, 1885 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1885 *Judge* cartoon satirizes a boxing champion (depicted with exaggerated facial features) accused by his wife of cruelty. The caption "The Champion Accuses His Wife of Cruelty" reverses the expected narrative: instead of the wife seeking protection, the brutish husband claims victimization. The cartoon mocks the champion's absurd defense—a sign reading "50 Men Knocked Out But No Women" and a framed testimonial claiming "I Never Was Drunk"—presenting obviously false alibis. The S.P.C.A. (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) reference suggests the wife deserves animal-protection-level safeguards from her violent husband. The satire critiques both domestic violence and male dishonesty, using the boxing world's brutality as commentary on marital abuse.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
| | ENTERED AT THE POST OFFICE AT NEW YORK AS SECOND CLASS MATTER. COPYRIGHT I88! BY THE JUDGE PUBLISHING CO. NEW YORK, JUNE 13, 1885. 10 Cents. —— SSS, 1} NEVER WAS A CASE FOR THE S.P.C. A. THE CHAMPION ACCUSES HIS WIFE OF CRUELTY. comicbooks.com