Judge — March 6, 1909 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be a sketch by James Montgomery Flagg, the renowned American illustrator. The image depicts two figures in formal attire — a man in a tuxedo on his knees and a woman in an elegant evening gown standing above him in a dominant pose. The handwritten inscription below reads: "Awaiting your favorable reply, I remain very truly yours, C. Braman Starr" (or similar). This likely satirizes the reversal of traditional gender power dynamics in courtship. The kneeling man assumes the submissive posture typically associated with a woman being proposed to, while the woman stands imperiously — inverting Victorian-era romantic conventions. The satire comments on changing social relations between men and women in the early 20th century, mocking the shifting balance of power in romantic relationships.