Judge — May 10, 1919 — page 23: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon sequence mocks the modern "tumble in" trend—apparently a casual social gathering or dance where young women engaged in acrobatics and physical activity together. The humor targets: 1. **"Flock of retiring young ladies tumbling in"** — satirizes respectable young women abandoning decorum for undignified gymnastics 2. **"The plot unexpectedly bobs up"** — suggests romantic or social complications arise during these gatherings 3. **"Chicken soup"** — implies the aftermath involves modest, domestic practicality 4. **"The trousseau—an educational exhibit"** — the final panel of women in various dress styles mocks how these modern activities supposedly prepare young women for marriage instead of traditional finishing-school education The satire critiques the shift in early 20th-century women's culture toward physical recreation and away from Victorian propriety, treating this modern femininity as undignified and ultimately irrelevant to women's actual purpose (marriage).