Judge, 1900-04-07 · page 16 of 16
Judge — April 7, 1900 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1900 Judge cartoon satirizes social consequences of facial hair fashion. The multi-panel sequence follows a man who refuses a barber's suggestion to shave, humorously depicting escalating social rejection: **Day 1-2:** The barber offers a shave; the man laughs it off. **Day 4:** A woman ("Miss Fitswell") deliberately snubs him ("cut dead"). **Day 6:** A policeman harasses him as a vagrant, suggesting his unkempt beard makes him appear homeless. The final panel shows him capitulating, requesting a complete shave. The joke reflects turn-of-the-century social anxiety about grooming standards and respectability. Facial hair—or lack thereof—signaled class and moral character. By the 1900s, clean-shaven faces were increasingly fashionable among respectable men, making a beard mark someone as socially undesirable or disreputable. The cartoon mocks how appearance-conscious society was, showing that refusing grooming norms brings real social consequences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
comicbooks.com SECOND DAY. rinst Day. Funxvove—"* Say, old man! you need a shave.” He gives the barber the laugh. ‘SHAVE *) 10 cH FOURTH DAY. SIXTH DAY. He is “cut dead” by Miss Fitswell. THE POLICEMAN—"* Hey, there! Git a move on THe BARBER—“* Did you say a clean shave?” COPYRIGHT 1900 BY JUDGE COMPANY OF NEW YORK. eee I don't want no hoboes hangin’ round on a care Whiskers —" Yes, sir/ Take em all off. THE SENSATION OF MR. WUDHAVE WHISKERS IN RAISING A BEARD. Sochan 6 vaheina Liha 8 Rig Co Rew York a