Judge — April 22, 1905 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *Judge* satirizes early 1900s women's Easter fashion, particularly elaborate hat trends. The top section shows three increasingly absurd spring hat designs labeled "Domestic" and "Chorus," mocking how extravagant women's millinery had become. The accompanying verses—"A Broader Sentiment," "A Dear Friend's Deduction," and "Made the Sale"—humorously critique women's shopping habits and hat prices. One poem jokes that a woman bought an outrageously expensive bonnet from Paris, prompting her husband's dismay at the cost. The bottom cartoon, "The Next Fashion Fad Just a Suggestion," appears to satirize how quickly women adopt ridiculous fashion trends, depicting a chaotic Easter scene where women's enormous hats have become so impractical they're causing literal collisions and disorder in public spaces. The overall message: satirizing both excessive female consumerism and the absurdity of contemporary women's fashion trends, particularly the iconic oversized hats that dominated the Edwardian era.