Judge — June 22, 1895 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge cartoon depicts a boxing match referee ("Ma. Blades") stopping a fight between two Black fighters over rule violations. One boxer allegedly hid a mule-shoe in his glove; the other had bitten his opponent's ear. The satire uses extremely offensive racial stereotypes and dialect to mock Black prizefighters and their perceived lack of gentility. The "joke" contrasts their brutal fighting style with the referee's suggestion they settle their "question of honor" like "gentlemen" using razors—implying that even the "civilized" alternative the referee proposes remains violent and disreputable. The cartoon reflects late 19th/early 20th-century racist attitudes prevalent in satirical publications, portraying Black athletes as inherently crude and prone to cheating or excessive violence. The title's irony—that razor-fighting represents "genteel settlement"—underscores the dehumanizing caricature. This represents the casual, systemic racism embedded in period humor magazines.