Judge — December 1889 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts **Penelope**, a classical figure from Greek mythology (wife of Odysseus), personified here as a fashionable society woman. The satire targets the leisure class during winter. The joke hinges on contrast: Penelope is "cold and white," "icy-hampered," and normally "pampered" in summer. Someone tries to cheer her with a smile, but her tearful response reveals her actual concern—she "can't go to the races." The satire mocks wealthy women's priorities: despite winter hardship affecting ordinary people, Penelope's genuine distress stems solely from missing the horse races (a premier social event). Her classical allusion elevates what is essentially a complaint about social inconvenience. Judge magazine uses this to ridicule the self-centered frivolity of the privileged classes.