Judge, 1901-10-19 · page 9 of 16
Judge — October 19, 1901 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes **Admiral George Dewey**, the Spanish-American War naval hero. The top panels show his celebrated victory at Manila Bay (sailing through torpedoes) and Santiago, establishing him as a military genius on par with Nelson. The bottom panels present a cruel contrast labeled "THEN" versus "NOW," depicting Dewey as he aged. The captions mock his current reputation as dependent on ghost-written magazine articles and flattering testimonials rather than actual accomplishment. The "sea sissy" reference—suggesting effeminacy through references to pink tea and croquet—was a cutting insult in this era, implying he'd become a vain socialite trading on past glory rather than remaining a serious military figure. The overall message: a once-great warrior has become a self-promoting has-been, more concerned with his public image than substance. This likely reflects contemporary debates about Dewey's actual postwar role and relevance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
He paralyzed all precedent by sailing straight in at night over THEN, _. the torpedoes and without the loss of a single man in gaining a He made all the world admire his genius as asea fighter when victory that made him the peer of Nelson. at Santiago he sank Cervera's fleet and ended the war with Spain. SAMPSON, _ S*citrsiteizsito & Ps 0 Sewtork Now. a ‘ked Admiral whose real greatness rests on th A dawdling sort of a sea sissy that can scent a pink tea from magazine articles he dictates, and on the various things he fe afar, and play a dainty game of croquet at any lawn party. Eizes in gaily worded testimonials. comicbooks.com