Judge — May 5, 1900 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1900 Judge page contains two ethnic stereotype cartoons typical of the era's casual racism. **Top cartoon**: Features "Uncle Rastus," a Black character with exaggerated features. The joke relies on a racist "dialect" and portrayal of Black people as intellectually inferior—the humor hinges on the absurd explanation that fish drink all the water during dry weather. **Bottom cartoon**: Depicts Irish immigrant characters (the Hennessys) with heavy Irish accents rendered phonetically ("Oi've," "Shure"). Mr. Hennessy buys his wife a new coal hod (a bucket for carrying coal) with his hard-earned money. The joke is that she refuses to use it because the decorative paint is too pretty to ruin with actual coal—valuing appearance over function. Both cartoons mock marginalized immigrant and Black communities through exaggerated dialect, physical caricature, and supposed cultural or intellectual deficiencies. This represents standard Judge editorial content of the period, using stereotypes as the primary source of humor for contemporary readers.