Judge — January 31, 1903 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine page (1902) contains two satirical cartoons mocking Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective. **Top panel**: A deacon puts shoes on a mule for "humanity"—keeping the animal's feet warm in cold weather. The joke appears to be about misplaced compassion or absurd sentimentality. **Bottom panel**: Titled "Sherlock Holmes Baffled," it shows a criminal character (likely representing a fugitive or vagrant) boasting that the mule's footprints will confuse the famous detective's investigation. The satire mocks Holmes' legendary deductive abilities by suggesting even he'd be stumped by animal tracks instead of human evidence. The cartoons seem to ridicule both excessive sentimentalism and, more pointedly, to playfully deflate Holmes' reputation as an infallible investigator—a popular literary figure at the time whose fame the magazine enjoyed poking fun at.