Judge, 1919-06-14 · page 29 of 36
Judge — June 14, 1919 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines satirical cartoons about African American soldiers with a razor advertisement. **The cartoons** ("One Touch of Cooties," "Perspective," and "A Dark Vision") use offensive racial stereotypes and dialect to depict Black soldiers in WWI. The humor relies on minstrel-show caricature: exaggerated features, malapropisms, and crude characterization. "Perspective" contrasts a Black soldier's supposed cowardice with a white veteran's bravery. "A Dark Vision" plays on drunk stereotypes, with the punchline that the soldier fears punishment on July 4th (when he'd be "free" to be punished). **Historical context**: This reflects 1919 America—just after WWI's end, during a period of intense racial violence and the "Red Summer" race riots. The cartoons perpetuate contemporary racist attitudes toward Black soldiers, who served but faced discrimination. **The advertisement** for Gem razors occupies half the page, unrelated to the editorial content—typical magazine layout of the era. Modern readers should understand these cartoons document historical racism; they're not entertainment but evidence of pervasive prejudice in mainstream American media.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
June 14, 1919 Drawn ty Pvt. emrny, C8. S.C. | Oxe Toucn or Coorir “T know Smoother Faces! ust how you feel, Pu Millions of men—Gem users—have smoother faces. They have learned this shaving truth, that— “The Blade is the Razor’ Gem Damaskeene Blades have a durable delicacy and uniformity of edge that actually give a silken skin, a happy shave—the shave you have always wanted. Perspective By Waconen F.T. Reno, $4th Arty. CoA 00 AR Bs | \ colored soldier of the S. O. S. was asking awestruck questions of a truck driver just back from the lines, and the conversation got around to narrow escapes. “Oh, yes,” remarked the veteran, “I've been at dozens of times.” awdy, and did them Germans ever hit close to you?” “Gosh, yes. Why, one day a shell came along and took the radiator off my machine.” ssen here, man. If that had ever happened Thousands of men swing permanently over every year to the to this nigger, I'd have run so darned fast and | Gem and Smoother Faces. No longer for them the painful shaves showed the bottom of my feet so blamed often and the “‘near’’ shaves. They have found shaving content. that folks'd swear I was laying down! A Dark Vision | The shaving content you will find in the delicate edge of one By Moses H. A. _— U.S.A. | Gem Damaskeene Blade will amply repay your investment in a A certain colored private by name of Rastus | Smoother Face. was brought before his C. O. intoxicated, and after a regular army tongue lashing, for a few || minutes the C. O. fixed his icy stare upon the un- The new Gem Folder “Smoother Faces fortunate and asked: My and How to Get One” should be read by *Rastus, what in the name of pigeon-toed pos- every man. Shall we send you a copy? sums were you thinking of when you went and got drunk like this?” Rastus rolled his blood-shot eyes uneasily toward the C. O. and through swollen lips came the sullen reply: “First of July, sah!” $ 00 The price of the Gem secures the full service you can ask from any razor. Complete outfit includes holder, handle for stropping and seven Damaskeene Blades in compact case, GEM CUTLERY CO., Inc. Canadian Bran 591 St. Catherine Street. Vi “Say. Sare, help me rol rack here, will ? I'm all balled up.” me _o’ that ‘Bull’ Every man in this rolls his own’!