Judge — February 23, 1918 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis The central cartoon depicts two military officers (appearing to be German, based on the spiked Prussian helmets and uniforms) seated at a table labeled "GERMANY," licking a plate clean. The caption "Between Them Both They Licked the Platter Clean" suggests commentary on German wartime food rationing or scarcity. The surrounding dialogue snippets mock domestic economy during what appears to be WWI—wives bragging about feeding families cheaply, husbands struggling financially. The upper section contrasts a "wise" woman who economizes by husbanding her means. This page satirizes both enemy deprivation and American home-front economic pressures, using the German officers as visual metaphor for national resource depletion during wartime. The humor relies on audiences understanding Germany faced severe food shortages during the war.