Judge — February 6, 1909 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Our Valentines" (Judge, February 6, 1909) This Valentine's Day satire presents two contrasting heart-shaped faces. The left shows a joyful heart with multiple small hearts as eyes and mouth, labeled "TWO HEARTS THAT / BEAT AS ONE"—representing romantic love and marital harmony. The right depicts a melancholic heart with tear-filled eyes and a downturned mouth, also labeled part of the same phrase. This creates dark humor by juxtaposing idealized romance against romantic disappointment or marital discord. A skeletal or death-like figure presides above, suggesting either the grim reality underlying romantic fantasy or perhaps commenting on love's mortality. The contrasting emotions—bliss versus sorrow—satirize the gap between Valentine's Day sentimentality and actual relationship experiences, a perennial target of satirical magazines.