Judge — September 6, 1913 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Judge's Revue of the Zoo This satirical cartoon uses a zoo setting as a metaphor for society or politics. A well-dressed judge character observes various animals entertaining children, with captions providing commentary on each scene. The humor derives from animal behavior paralleling human conduct: lions "entertain" their "royals," a Bengal tiger is "stroked," a giraffe accommodates a "giant's" perspective, an elephant serves as entertainment, and a donkey is ridden. The framing panels show the judge dozing and waking, suggesting tired observation of human folly. The "zoo" metaphor appears to critique social hierarchies and human behavior by comparing people to animals. However, without clearer identification of specific captions or historical context, the precise political targets remain unclear. This appears to be general social satire rather than commentary on specific events.