Judge, 1897-12-18 · page 31 of 53
Judge — December 18, 1897 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon depicts a Black man rejecting a modern safety razor in favor of a traditional straight razor. The joke relies on a racist stereotype: the caption suggests he prefers the old razor because straight razors are more impressive or prestigious for "weddin' or social function"—implying Black men valued displaying weapons as status symbols. The humor (by 1890s standards) targeted both modern technology adoption and relied on dehumanizing caricature. The man's dialect and the visual portrayal reinforce period racial stereotypes. The cartoon mocks both the "latest thing" (safety razors) and reflects prejudiced assumptions about Black social values, using a Christmas-themed Judge magazine publication to make this "joke" palatable to contemporary audiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Christmas Judge. HE'D RATHER HAVE THE OLD KIND. «This is the latest thing in razors—the safety razor.” ** Dat may do, sah, fo" shavin’ ; but fo" a weddin’ or social function it am puffictly useless.” comicbooks.com