Judge — April 17, 1920 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Man From '20": A Prohibition-Era Satire This *Judge* magazine cover from April 17, 1920, satirizes early Prohibition enforcement. The cartoon shows a stern judge or official confronting a woman with a large jug labeled "PROOF" — likely referring to alcoholic evidence or homemade liquor. The title "What's the Big Idea?" suggests the confrontation's tone. As a "Prohibition Scream by Ellis Parker Butler," the piece mocks the clash between enforcement authorities and ordinary citizens during Prohibition's first months (which began January 1920). The woman's defiant posture and the judge's stern bearing illustrate the social tension around Prohibition's implementation — the government's aggressive enforcement versus public resistance. The cartoon ridicules both the rigid moralism of Prohibition and the bootlegging culture it immediately spawned.