Judge — February 1, 1902 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1902 *Judge* page contains two satirical cartoons with racial caricatures typical of the era's offensive imagery. **Top cartoon:** A "Judge" (editor figure) stands amid rejected poets. The satire mocks aspiring poets pestering editors with terrible work. A beggar tells a poet he has "nothing to live for," and the poet responds by asking him to submit his rejected poem to the editor—suggesting the poem is so bad it might kill someone. **Bottom cartoon:** Two men play cards. The scene satirizes amateur versus experienced gamblers ("a beginner" vs. "a shark"). Mr. Jackson, the experienced player, misleadingly tells the novice that "four of a kind" is the best hand—then adds the qualifier "in his hand," implying cheating or sleight-of-hand tricks professional gamblers use to swindle beginners. Both cartoons mock human folly: struggling artists deluding themselves about their talent, and experienced con artists exploiting the naive.