Judge — December 8, 1894 — page 27: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon titled "Christmas Morning—A Slight Mistake." It depicts a pawnbroker's shop ("Moses Cohen, Pawn Broker") where poor families might desperately sell possessions before Christmas. The humor relies on ethnic stereotyping: a Jewish pawnbroker (caricatured with exaggerated features) operates the shop, while impoverished customers—apparently Christian, given the "Christians, awake!" carol reference—stand outside. The "slight mistake" appears to be the irony of singing Christian hymns while patronizing a Jewish pawnbroker out of financial desperation during the holiday season. This reflects late-19th-century prejudices, depicting both poverty and using caricature to satirize religious and ethnic differences. The cartoon mocks the gap between Christmas ideals and harsh economic reality for the poor.