Judge, 1894-01-06 · page 3 of 16
Judge — January 6, 1894 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the legendary Rip Van Winkle character as a destitute vagrant in contemporary urban settings. The sequential comic strips show Rip encountering various people—a Schneider, Barstorm, and others—who don't recognize him or offer help. The joke appears to be about economic hardship and social indifference: even a famous (fictional) person becomes invisible when poor and without resources. The lower sections include unrelated content: "A Base Slander" mocks Pullman porters' tipping practices, while "They Both Knew" presents a dialogue about meat prices at the market. "Business Opportunity" advertises a milk route sale. The overall theme reflects Gilded Age anxieties about poverty, forgotten people, and economic precarity amid urban indifference.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
RIP. VAN WINKLE BarxstorMs (alias Rip Van Winkle)—"* Thank yer, Daubenberg ; I'll pocket this frankfurter till after th’ next act.” UP TO DATE; OR, NOT ON THE BILLS. Rup Van Winkie —"Alone in der moundins ! —Schneider-r-r! Schneider-r-r! Vere vos dot Nod efen Schneider !— tog Schneider? (Aside) Confound the brute—he's on to my frankfurter !” Rip VAN Wink te (faking lines) — ‘*Efen dot BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY. A man possessing a good milk route would like to exchange it for an ice business. Address X.Y. Z., Milkbill, Orange county, New York. BARNstors (to Aimse//)—" This is the first hit of me life, but yer bet it won't be th’ last, if I haff t' keep this purp starvia’ !” A BASE SLANDER. se ]F THERE'S anything that wearies me,” said the Pullman porter, who was in a communicative mood, “it's these jokes in the papers about porters making big money.” “ They are exaggerations, are they ?” “ I should say they are. Now take this trip, for instance ; I've only made fourteen dollars and seventy-five cents. There was a lot of women on board, and they hardly ever tip a fellow.” Schneider has deserted me! Vife, shildrens, und now efen mein tog.” (Breaks down—curtain, thun- derous applause.) THEY BOTH KNEW. Swat NePHew—‘‘Yo' can't read nothin’, Uncle Eph'm; dat sign it say ‘Meals in de pot !" I guess I kin read, Uncie Eriraim—‘*Go ‘way, now —I done read dat fo! yo' did, Ob co'se it say * Meals in de pot,’ but what I wants to know is, wha’ am de pot?” comicbooks.com if