Judge — August 19, 1905 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon from 1904 depicts a cab driver (labeled "The Cabby") speaking to a well-dressed passenger. The cabby's comment—"Go on and say it, mister; don't mind me. I've been in the business two years"—suggests the passenger is hesitating to complain or criticize something, likely the cab service itself. The satire appears to target the cab driver's cynical acceptance of criticism after only two years in the profession. The joke implies that cab drivers routinely received complaints about their service (poor driving, high fares, rudeness), and this driver has become so accustomed to it that he's resigned to hearing insults. It's social commentary on working-class service industries and the contentious relationship between drivers and passengers in early 1900s urban America.