Judge — April 16, 1910 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains two cartoons using racist caricature and dialect to satirize African American defendants in legal proceedings. **Top cartoon ("A Colored Eviction"):** Depicts an eviction case where a Black woman ("Loretta Sawdust Johnson") pleads to remain in her home, invoking dependence on her landlord's charity. The satire mocks both the defendant's servility and suggests the absurdity of her plea to a judge. **Bottom cartoon ("An Alibi"):** Shows a Black man defending himself in court for stealing a rooster. His excuse—that his wife needed the bird to trim her hat for fashion—is presented as ridiculous. The satire targets both the defendant's implausible excuse and stereotypes about Black women's vanity. Both cartoons use exaggerated physical features, eye-dialect spelling, and the judicial system as a setup for humor at the expense of Black people. The satire reflects early-20th-century attitudes treating African Americans as subjects of mockery rather than equals before the law.