Judge — December 8, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a whimsical illustration by Rodney Thomson showing anthropomorphic animals (appearing to be mice or rats) in a woodland setting. Mrs. Greytail, having discovered an abandoned fashion magazine, has established a dressmaking business beneath a large tree. The satire likely mocks the era's fashion industry and aspirations—even woodland creatures now desire fashionable dress based on discarded human magazines. Various animal customers and workers are depicted around the makeshift parlor, some carrying price signs and garments. The humor derives from the incongruity of applying human fashion commerce to animal society, and possibly satirizes how easily trends spread and how people (or animals) pursue fashionable clothing regardless of practicality. This appears to be a humorous social commentary on consumerism and fashion obsession through the lens of animal fantasy.