Judge — May 22, 1920 — page 20: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon from *Judge* magazine depicts a film producer casting characters for an "allegorical picture"—a movie using symbolic figures to represent abstract concepts. The labeled characters represent: - **Mars** (goddess of war) - **Justice** (man with hammer) - **Despair** (woman with hat) - **Everyman** (common figure) - **Columbia** (allegorical representation of America) - **Bin** (a rotund, dripping figure—likely representing filth or corruption) - **Wisdom** (woman in ballet pose) The cartoon satirizes how filmmakers select actors to embody these ideals. The crude caricature of "Bin" suggests ironic commentary: that even negative forces like corruption or waste were being incorporated into Hollywood's moral narratives. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about cinema's role in promoting (or failing to promote) American values. The drawing style and subject matter suggest this is satirizing contemporary film industry practices.