Judge, 1896-10-10 · page 16 of 16
Judge — October 10, 1896 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This comic strip satirizes polygamy through the story of a Turkish gentleman who takes a second wife. The narrative follows Al Hassan's attempt to romance a maiden while married, using "oily tongue" (flattery/deception) to seduce her. The satire's point emerges in the resolution: when the first wife discovers the infidelity, she disguises herself and infiltrates the household, transforming Al Hassan's domestic life into chaos. The final caption—"he never spent / A peaceful day within that tent"—delivers the moral: attempting polygamy backfires when a deceived spouse seeks revenge. This reflects late-19th-century American attitudes portraying Turkish/Muslim customs as morally inferior and comedically ridiculous. The "exotic" setting allows Judge magazine to mock infidelity and celebrate the vengeful wife's clever cunning as justified punishment, appealing to contemporary anxieties about marriage and marital fidelity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Al Hassan was a Turkish gent, Who had but one wife in his tent. One day a maiden passed his door And tempted him to take one more. But Mrs. Hassan number one They met, and Al with oily tongue Disguised herself to have some fun. A favorable answer from her wrung. But from that time he never spent A peaceful day within that tent. SacketiaWihelms Litho Co New York Then, plating her on his divan, He swore that true love just began. COPYRIONT 1806, THE JUDGE PUBLISHING COMPANY OF NEW YORK. AL HASSAN’S ROMANCE. . it comicbooks.com ;