Judge, 1913-01-25 · page 18 of 26
Judge — January 25, 1913 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects humorous anecdotes from European satirical magazines, translated for American readers. Each cartoon or joke targets domestic frustrations and social absurdities: **Key themes:** - **Women's fashion hazards**: Hatpins and feather boas that inconvenience others - **Marital economics**: A wife threatening to prevent a husband's art purchase over unpaid debts - **Domestic inconvenience**: A housewife perversely grateful when breaking dishes from an incomplete set, viewing breakage as progress toward a "complete" smaller set - **Class and service**: A plumber's cavalier promise of eventual work completion; a waiter's confusion about "bouillon" The satire mocks everyday frustrations—spousal manipulation, materialist anxiety, servant inefficiency, and women's fashion as social nuisance. The page's appeal lies in recognizing universal domestic comedy across national boundaries, reinforcing early 20th-century stereotypes about European life while suggesting shared middle-class complaints transcend borders.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Unanswerable. “Da hast mich hintergangen. Nun werde ich en Mann veranlassen, dass er dir das Bild nicht Aber Kind, wle soll ch dann deine Pelegarnitur bezahleaT” **You have deceived me! Now I shall persuade my husband not to buy the picture.’"” “But, child, how shall I ther, pay for —Lustige Blaetter (Ber- The Blessed Women ! “Benedette donne !_ Bisogna sempre che ne abbi- ‘ano in capo una nuova per tormentare il prossimo! Prima cogli spilloni da cappello minacciavano di acciecarci: ora ci fanno il solletico con questi spaz- zettoni I” “The blessed women! They must al- ways have in their hats something new to torment their neighbors! First with the hatpin they threatened to blind us, and now they tickle us with these brushes.’’—Jl Fischietto (Turin). The Fortune Teller. “Ja, liebes Friiulein. wenn nichts dazwischen komint, steht Ihnen ein grosses Glick befor!” “Yes, miss, if nothing comes be- tween, a great fortune awaits you."’— Fliegende Blaetter (Munich). Happy Accident. Beruch (erataunt)—"Wie, Sie zerbrechen eine ‘Tasse und sagen noch, ‘Gott sei Dank’ 2” Hausfrau—"Ach, ja. die gebdrt zu dem unvoll- stindig eewordenen’ Kaffeeservice fur zwolf Perso nen, Gber das ich mich jedesmal Srgern muss! Jetzt brauche ich nur noch zwei Tellerehen zu zer- echlagen, dann ist's wieder vollstiindig—fUr sechs Personen !” Visitor (surprised)—‘‘What! You say ‘Thank goodness!’ when you break a saucer?”” Housewife— ‘This is one of the broken coffee set for twelve persons which makes me mad every time I look at it. There are now only two more saucers to be broken, and then it’s complete again—for six persons!’’ — Fliegende Blaetter (Munich). A Desperate Remedy. She—‘Does my feather spoil your “Oh, no, madam! I've cut it London Opinion. A Sailor's Jest. 1in—‘Waiter, what do you Sea captain—" Well, well, I must have sailed on bouillon all my life and did not know it!""—Meggendorfer Blaetter (Munich). So in Every Land. Foreman plumber —* 1"ll get one of my lads to come along this afternoon and put them tiles right; but you needn’t worry yourself, guv- try and nor, a-watching them there baths and pans—why, they won’t be full for hours and hours !"’— Punch (London). comicbooks.com