Judge — June 6, 1903 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page The main cartoon depicts a domestic scene where a seated man (appears to be a wealthy gentleman) is being confronted by what looks like a servant or visitor about a daughter's marriage proposal. The caption reads: "CHOLLY—'Mr. Bellinger, I have called to ask you for your daughter's hand. She is a credit to her sex.' MR. BELLINGER (late of State Penitentiary)—'Say, young fella! you might as well understand such I never give credit.'" The satire targets class mobility and hypocrisy: the father, recently released from prison, now wealthy enough to have marriageable daughters, makes a crude joke about "credit" that reveals his criminal past and lack of refinement despite his newfound status. The humor mocks nouveau-riche pretensions and suggests moral bankruptcy underlying material success.