Judge — July 30, 1887 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Disgusted Musicians" This Judge magazine cover from July 30, 1887, depicts a Scottish bagpiper (identifiable by kilt and pipes) sitting disconsolately by the shore, drowning his musical instrument in the water. The caption reads: "Jim's Pipe drowns their music, though he is 3,000 Miles away!" The cartoon satirizes someone named "Jim" whose bagpipe playing is so notoriously bad that even his absence—he's 3,000 miles away—cannot stop the suffering of other musicians. The joke plays on the piercing, grating quality bagpipes are stereotypically known for in Anglo-American humor. The "disgusted musicians" visible in the background appear to represent the broader musical community relieved to be rid of such terrible playing.