Judge — February 9, 1901 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This two-panel satirical cartoon from *Judge* magazine jokes about a farmer's hen hatching china dishes instead of eggs. **The Setup:** Panel one shows Farmer Selleck threatening an old hen, saying he'll break her of her "setting habit" when he discovers she's been trying to hatch china eggs instead of real ones. **The Punchline:** Panel two reveals the absurd result—the hen has actually *hatched* a complete set of china dishes. **The Satire:** The cartoon appears to be mocking rural farmers or country folk as gullible or foolish enough to believe such an impossibility could occur. The humor relies on the visual absurdity: a hen "succeeding" at an impossible task, making the farmer look foolish for his earlier threat. The crude caricature style and subject matter are typical of *Judge's* working-class humor from this era. No specific political reference is evident—it's simply comedic commentary on rural life and stupidity.