Judge — August 2, 1919 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "The Better-Half of Valor" This August 2, 1919 *Judge* cartoon, drawn by Orson Lowell, satirizes soldiers returning from World War I. The caption reads: "Some of our men return from France with a lot of mere trinkets, others come back with something real—alive!" The left pair shows a soldier with a woman in fashionable dress (likely a romantic conquest or "trinket" from abroad). The right pair depicts an older couple—apparently a soldier reunited with his wife or sweetheart waiting at home. The satire mocks soldiers who pursue fleeting wartime romances versus those who maintain serious domestic relationships. "Valor's better half" puns on both military courage and domestic commitment, suggesting that faithfulness to one's actual partner represents truer valor than foreign dalliances. The cartoon reflects post-war anxieties about soldier morality and family stability.