Judge — July 14, 1900 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This two-panel comic from Judge magazine tells a slapstick story about a dog causing chaos at a riverside picnic. In panel one, a man crouches amid scattered belongings, claiming "I'll jist let me property to me faithful servant, an' when dem guys gits cunning an' tries ter tie knots in de clos de pup will do de rest." Panel two shows the punchline: the dog has indeed caused mayhem, scattering picnickers and destroying their setup while chasing rabbits. The humor relies on ethnic dialect ("jist," "dem," "de") typical of early 20th-century American comedy stereotyping. The joke is straightforward slapstick—the man's plan backfires spectacularly when the dog creates complete pandemonium instead of the intended mild disruption. No clear political satire is evident.