Judge — March 1, 1919 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Extinct" - Prohibition Era Satire This 1919 cartoon satirizes American Prohibition, which began that year. A grotesque donkey—a classical symbol of stubbornness or folly—carries barrels labeled "BEER," "WHISKEY," and bottles of "EXTRA DRY" and "GIN." The sign reads "SOUSERUS EXTINCT A.D. 1919," mocking the idea that drunkenness would disappear. A small man observes this monument to vanished vice. The satire is clear: Judge magazine doubted Prohibition would actually eliminate drinking. The anthropomorphic "drunken beast" monument suggests satirists viewed the law as naive—alcohol consumption wouldn't truly die out despite legal prohibition. The cartoon expresses skepticism about the amendment's effectiveness, a common sentiment among critics of Prohibition.