Judge — January 27, 1917 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Looking Backward—January, 1673: The First Mail Carrier Leaving New York for Boston" This satirical cartoon depicts a chaotic colonial-era scene imagining the first mail delivery between New York and Boston in 1673. The humor likely stems from contrasting modern (1920s-era Judge magazine) concepts of efficient mail service with absurdly primitive colonial conditions—figures scattered throughout an undeveloped landscape, crude buildings, and general pandemonium surrounding the mail carrier's departure. The satire probably comments on postal service inefficiency or the romanticization of colonial history. The "looking backward" title suggests ironic nostalgia. The crowded, disorganized scene parodies both actual colonial chaos and contemporary complaints about mail delivery, using historical distance as a vehicle for contemporary social commentary on American progress (or lack thereof) in logistical systems.