Judge — December 19, 1896 — page 26: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a two-panel Christmas joke from *Judge* magazine about a girl named Anamelinda who positions herself under the mistletoe and invites kisses with "Thou mayest." The satire hinges on her being cross-eyed. In the first panel, she stands alone. The second shows multiple men surrounding her, each believing she's looking at *him* individually—when in fact her crossed eyes create an optical illusion making it seem she's gazing toward everyone simultaneously. The joke mocks both male vanity (each man thinks he's the chosen recipient of her affection) and plays on period attitudes toward physical disability as comedic fodder. The caption's final line—"They each thought she looked their way"—drives home the punchline about how her condition creates this awkward, humorous confusion.