Judge — April 20, 1918 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "In the Spirit of the Hour" - War-Time Fashion Satire This Judge magazine page satirizes women's fashion during wartime (likely WWI era, given references to military decoration and "General"). The cartoonist mocks patriotic fashion trends emerging among society women. The satire targets wealthy women adopting military-inspired accessories—decorations, scarves, and tall boots—as status symbols while claiming patriotic sentiment. One caption quotes a woman mentioning a "General" and "Rochester, Minnesota," suggesting pretentious name-dropping of military connections. The piece ridicules the contradiction: women who previously avoided such garments now wear them "proudly," and those with military honors display decorations "to show for it." The joke is that fashionable women are co-opting wartime aesthetics for social prestige rather than genuine patriotic commitment, reducing military sacrifice to mere costume.