Judge — January 28, 1888 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This two-panel satirical cartoon depicts a young man preparing for social deception. In the top panel, he acknowledges his worn clothing ("sleeves are a little dilapidated") but plans to disguise himself by pinning on cuffs and borrowing a dress coat. The bottom panel shows the "transformation"—he now appears respectable to observers. The satire targets class pretension and social fraud common in the Gilded Age. The "presto, change" magic trick framing mocks how superficial appearances (borrowed finery, pinned cuffs) allow poor or working-class individuals to deceive "gentlemen" into thinking them respectable. The joke suggests that respectability is merely costume—a critique of both the shallow class system and those who rely on deception to climb socially. Judge magazine frequently satirized such social climbing and appearance-based status anxiety.