Judge — February 27, 1915 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Judge Magazine, February 27, 1915 This satirical cartoon mocks a product called "Smokeless Powder," playing on the phrase "Busy Bertha"—likely referring to *Big Bertha*, the famous German artillery cannon used in World War I. The illustration shows a fashionable woman in an elaborate dress and hat, examining herself in a mirror at a vanity table with cosmetics. The caption's pun suggests the powder is so effective it leaves no visible residue, unlike traditional powders. The humor operates on multiple levels: it conflates cosmetic vanity with military weaponry, and uses a feminine domestic scene to satirize modern warfare technology. The timing—1915, during WWI—makes the reference to Bertha's destructive power darkly comedic when applied to beauty products. The image reflects period attitudes toward both consumerism and the war.