Judge, 1889-12-07 · page 5 of 18
Judge — December 7, 1889 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a multi-panel satirical comic depicting an artist's escalating conflict with a wealthy patron (likely named Bergscheimer, based on dialogue). The narrative arc shows: the artist delivering work in cold weather ("that sun was very warm"), receiving poor payment ("I've forgotten my money"), then seeking revenge by advertising "Free Beer and Hot Frankfurters" to lure homeless tramps to the patron's establishment. The joke is the artist's clever retaliation—he floods the rich man's property with rowdy vagrants, disrupting his business and dignity. The final panels show the chaos and confusion this causes. Below, a December poem celebrates winter pleasures (skating, snow) while wryly noting slippery ice hazards. The "Outward Signs" section jokes about identifying a liquor dealer by his "gin phiz" (bloated face from drinking). The satire reflects class tensions and the struggle between working artists and wealthy exploiters.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE ARTIST'S REVENGE. —, NS SS Vb test Se in 1 2 oh g i wee < ‘Tur, TRastes —"" Well, dat’s der softes’ snap yit !"~ “* What's dat sign out there? DECEMBER. ECEMBER'S here, so sacred to the boy Who pelts the passers-by with balls of snow ; More sacred still to men and maids who know The irrepressible and potent joy, ‘The long-continued bliss without alloy ‘That dwells in skating—how the winds do blow, How leap the pulses and how cheeks do glow ! Not e’en a fall such rapture may destroy. But, dear December, I am thinking most Of how some unsuspected slippery spot Doth take a mortal earthward with a rush, And bring unto his view the starry host— ‘And then I'm certain that we thank thee not When thine immaculate snows do turn to slush ! RATHAN M. LEVY. OUTWARD SIGNS. ae nS 66 [LL wager that man is Bee Vhat makes you thi “Well, go out an’ look at it!" “He has.a perfect gin phiz. Ain’t seen it?" comicbooks.com