Judge, 1891-09-26 · page 16 of 16
Judge — September 26, 1891 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon mocks police corruption and misconduct in what appears to be the late 19th or early 20th century. The "etiquette" rules depicted include taking bribes from fruit stands, fraternizing improperly with servants, monitoring saloon back doors (implying collusion with illegal alcohol sales), and sleeping on duty. The humor is darkly ironic—presenting blatant corruption as proper "etiquette" for officers. This reflects historical realities of police graft and negligence during the period. The various vignettes show officers engaged in theft, questionable relationships, and dereliction of duty. The cartoon criticizes systemic corruption within urban police forces, exposing how misconduct was normalized and tolerated as standard practice rather than condemned as criminal behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
comicbooks.com No. 3. Always take some little trifle from each fruit stand, asa matter of good fellowship. as an officer. fee 7 Pw ‘ NS ie No. 6. Be friendly with the servant girls; it's your duty Se es No.5. Always watch the front door of a liquor saloon on Sunday; the back door will take care of itself —~ No. 7. When you nearl No. 8. You are only human and must sleep, so take a explain to bim that y a nap whenever you can find time; it is your duty. him but because you authority to beat ETIQUETTE FOR POLICEMEN