Judge — December 14, 1918 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This single-panel cartoon depicts an elegantly dressed woman confronting a tall, gaunt man in tattered formal wear carrying a rifle and sword. The caption reads "It's a Wise Daughter That Knows Her Own Father." The satire appears to reference **paternity uncertainty or illegitimacy**, playing on the proverb "It's a wise child that knows his own father." The disheveled, armed man's appearance suggests poverty, dissipation, or moral degradation. The woman's composed bearing contrasts sharply with his decrepit state. Without knowing the specific publication date or context from Judge magazine's archives, the precise political or social target remains unclear—though it likely comments on class differences, family shame, or questions of legitimacy in early 20th-century American society. The artist is credited as Angus MacDonald.