Judge — December 5, 1891 — page 15: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon critiques the "Progressive age" by depicting fashionable, wealthy adults instructing children that belief in traditional values is outdated. The elegantly dressed woman with fur trim and the well-dressed man appear to represent progressive intellectuals or society figures dismissing conventional morality. The cartoon's humor lies in its ironic title: "The Modern Children" are being taught to abandon old-fashioned principles. The scattered, misbehaving children at the bottom—appearing undisciplined and chaotic—suggest the consequences of this progressive ideology. Judge magazine uses this to mock what it viewed as dangerous modernism undermining childhood innocence and traditional upbringing. The exact figures remain unclear, but the satire targets progressive attitudes of the era that critics felt corrupted young people.