Judge — November 29, 1919 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Prophets, Ancient and Modern" This cartoon by Angus Macdonnall satirizes contemporary fortune-tellers and spiritualists by comparing them to biblical prophets. The image shows a séance or spiritualist gathering around a central stove or heating device, with figures seated in a circle and ghostly apparitions floating above—a visual reference to the popular spiritualist belief in communicating with spirits. The satire likely critiques the spiritualist movement's proliferation in late 19th/early 20th-century America, when fraudulent mediums and séances were common entertainment exploiting people's grief and credulity. By juxtaposing "ancient" (legitimate) prophets with "modern" (charlatan) ones, Macdonnall mocks contemporary spiritualists as false prophets peddling superstition rather than genuine spiritual insight.