Judge, 1903-04-18 · page 12 of 20
Judge — April 18, 1903 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge magazine page contains racist caricatures typical of late 19th/early 20th-century American satire. **"A Smart-Set 'Coon'"** (top left) uses offensive dialect and stereotypes, mocking an African American woman named "S'manthy" for adopting fashionable clothing and urban mannerisms while her family pressures her for money. **"A Strong Touch"** (top right) shows an eagle playing piano while crows observe—a likely political allegory, though the specific figures are unclear without additional context. **"Tobias Walton's Mistake"** (bottom series) depicts a lynching scenario presented as comedic. Rural white characters discuss apprehending and presumably executing a Black man, treating violence as entertainment. The dialogue treats this as humorous. The page reflects Judge's editorial stance: mocking both African Americans for social aspiration and rural/working-class whites. The lynching sequence is presented without moral judgment, reflecting the magazine's era's casual acceptance of racial violence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A SMART-SET “COON.” [UAT gal S'manthy write ter Sayin’ as whar she am at, She say dat she got de Dat dey call de Fastah hat. S'manthy use ter be v1 Fer ter git « Chris'mus+ Wid nkeher ant breas's Dat we stuff inter her But sence S'manthy went up wth, We got her right ob Lo = wa id new-fangle way Sen’ back to deir pop fo" cash Fo! ter hope on hol Stmanthy say fine fedders maik stah hat. hun done dis hyah Leut stah biziness “I take A STRONG TOUCH. | Her ole daddy's las’ red cent. Tue crow—" Do you admire the eagle's playing ?"* Tue ow.—" Not altogether: and yet one must admit that he has remarkable talons for music." mi Dat’s whad | Aunt Sanan—"' Alonzo, here's the old clothes | that tramp left when he run away with your Sun- Towias Watton—"* Reckon there'll be some- day-fo-to-meetin’ ones, Jest chuck ‘em into your thin’ doin’ here in about a minute, —!—!—!— Pee | barrel an’ throw ‘em off the bridge on your way to Murder! — the village.”” NNOAN NL ERAS DES Te snerirr —"'| hear him comin’, boys! —Yacas, flung him off the bridge! All Guess some o° you fellers better jump on him an’ Tosias—" Wa-al, | vum, deacon! I'll never go cut to bits!) Hurry upl"* hold him down while | get the shackles ready, fer fishin’ agin an’ fergit my specs—never!™" I feel my asthmy comin’ on.” TOBIAS WALTON’S MISTAKE, ‘