Judge — December 22, 1900 — page 34: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be a Victorian-era satirical cartoon from Judge magazine playing on the phrase "old chestnut"—a joke or story told repeatedly. A horse-dealer, responding to a customer who identifies himself as a "humorous writer," literally interprets the request for material by producing an actual old horse, calling it "that old chestnut." The satire mocks humorous writers of the period, suggesting their jokes are so worn-out and recycled that they're like a literally exhausted, decrepit horse. The humor relies on the visual pun of taking an idiomatic expression literally. It's commentary on the staleness of contemporary comedy writing—a common target of satirical magazines.