Judge — July 6, 1912 — page 14: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a social satire about flattery and superficial compliments. The image shows two elegantly dressed figures (appearing to be a man and woman in period attire) with a parrot on a chain between them. The joke operates on multiple levels: The poem suggests that compliments—even insincere ones—please women regardless of their source. The parrot serves as a metaphor for mindless repetition of flattery. When the mistress calls it "Pretty Poll," it mechanically responds "Pretty Molly"—suggesting that compliments are mere empty mimicry without genuine meaning. The satire targets both the superficiality of social courtship rituals and, implicitly, women's supposed susceptibility to hollow praise. It's typical of *Judge* magazine's cynical commentary on Gilded Age social conventions and gender relations.