Judge — June 16, 1917 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This illustration depicts a nighttime urban street scene with a police officer on patrol. The caption reads: "Wifey's idea of the danger hubby incurs on his tour of special police duty." The satire appears to mock wives' exaggerated fears about their husbands' safety while performing police work. The image shows a relatively quiet, ordinary street scene with a lone officer and minor activity—hardly the dangerous scenario the caption suggests a wife might imagine. The full moon and Gothic church architecture create atmospheric drama, but the actual scene is mundane. The joke targets domestic anxiety and the gap between realistic police work (routine patrols) and spouses' anxious perceptions of danger. It's satirizing both wives' worry and, by extension, the relatively safe nature of "special police duty" during this era.