Judge — May 12, 1900 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Judge Page The top cartoon, "Shakespeare in Possum ville," depicts a minstrel show parody of Julius Caesar's assassination. The figures appear to use exaggerated blackface caricatures performing a dramatic theatrical scene. This reflects Judge magazine's satirical commentary on popular entertainment of the era—specifically minstrel shows and theatrical adaptations in the American South. The remaining vignettes ("Put to a New Use," "Had the Wrong Handle," "Hard to Exterminate," "Safe to Say," "It Would," "From Our Country Correspondent") are brief humorous sketches with punchlines about everyday situations—a woman's domestic role, animal behavior, regional feuds, secrets, and winter. The overall page demonstrates Judge's mix of racial caricature humor (now deeply offensive) alongside genteel domestic comedy typical of early 20th-century American satirical magazines.