Judge — December 23, 1911 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes romantic love and courtship through visual absurdism. A blindfolded woman (representing Cupid, the Roman god of love) holds a hammer, appearing to strike or "make a monkey of" a small figure dressed as a formal gentleman—likely representing Cupid himself or romantic ideals personified. The central figure is a baby/cherub dressed incongruously in formal attire with a crown, being presented with various implements, suggesting that romantic pursuits are being treated as foolish or absurd games. The joke critiques the folly of love and romance, suggesting that Cupid (traditionally a source of romantic enchantment) has been reduced to mockery—hence "making a monkey of" him. The formal gentleman figure on the left appears to witness this comic deflation of romantic ideals.