Judge — January 8, 1916 — page 15: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon by Robert Ball satirizes exclusive social events and class divisions in early 20th-century New York. The scene depicts Central Park at Columbus Circle, where "Miss Johnes" is hosting an exclusive ice-skating party. The humor rests on Eddie's response: rather than attend the exclusive gathering, he'll skate on the lake because it will be "less crowded"—a witty inversion suggesting that a public venue will paradoxically be more pleasant than a supposedly elite private event. The cartoon mocks the pretension of exclusive social gatherings while implicitly critiquing class-based segregation in public spaces. The architectural towers in the background emphasize the urban wealth context. The satire works because Eddie's preference for the "common" lake humorously undermines the status-seeking of exclusive society events.