Judge, 1903-05-02 · page 5 of 16
Judge — May 2, 1903 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes a domestic servant's (Jeanette's) rejection of a suitor. The mistress is surprised that Jeanette refused a wealthy man, since she'd emphasized his money mattered to her. Jeanette's response—delivered in a French accent ("Oul," "zat eet ees")—reveals the man's wealth is illusory: he has only a "lobster pot" rather than actual riches. The humor hinges on the pun between "pot of money" (a fortune) and a literal cooking pot, plus the servant's shrewd pragmatism. The cartoon mocks both the servant's materialistic priorities and the pretensions of a man presenting himself as wealthy when he possesses little of value. The oval framing and elegant interior setting emphasize the domestic comedy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HER REASON. ‘Tue mistress—"* But, Jeanette, why did you refuse him? You sald he had a pot of money.” Tue uai>—"* Oul, madame: but | find out zat eet ees one lobstaire-pot."”