Judge, 1903-10-31 · page 16 of 16
Judge — October 31, 1903 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon critiques competing newspapers' standards for comic illustrations. A cartoonist offers to draw portraits of various stock characters for publication. One editor rejects them, claiming readers now demand "refined fun" and want to eliminate stereotypical characters: the Irish immigrant, German immigrant ("Dutchman"), poor people, animals, and—using the era's offensive racial slur—Black Americans depicted as criminals. A second editor immediately contradicts him, saying he'll buy all the sketches and demands the artist *keep* these stereotypes, declaring "we need 'em all." The satire targets newspaper hypocrisy: editors publicly claim to elevate humor standards while actually profiting from ethnic caricatures and racist stereotypes. The cartoon suggests that despite calls for "refined" content, publications continued exploiting derogatory character types because they sold papers. The title "We Can't Lose Our Dear Old Friends" underscores this cynical contradiction.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Comic arrist—" Would you gentlemen please give me a sitting? | will have Your, portraits reproduced in the comic Sunday supplement, and I will also reward you with a pall of beer."” COPYRmONT 1903 BY JUDGE COMPANY OF KEW YORK. 3. At this point there was heard a mingling of tongues in various languages. Art eprror—“ Naw, we can't use them. If you have any real refined, funny drawings bring ‘em 1n; but cut out the dirty tramp, the flannel-mouthed Irishman, the limburger-cheese Dutchman, the Shantytown goat, the despicable yellow house-cat, and the low-down chicken-thlef nigger, and— _ ‘Sackert b wibeims Like & Pg Co Rew York Ant eviror—"' Hold on, there, Mr. Washtint! I'll take all of those sketches, and | want you to draw exclusively for our paper. And remember this—don't you omit any of the heretofore objection able characters in your drawings. | see we need ‘em all.”” : WE CAN'T LOSE OUR DEAR OLD FRIENDS. “The demand to-day Is for refined fun. The funny Irishman, etc., must go.""—Daily newspaper. comicbooks.com