Judge — July 24, 1920 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Gold Digger" - Judge Magazine, July 24, 1920 This satirical illustration depicts two figures labeled "The Gold Digger"—a period term for a woman who pursues men primarily for financial gain. The woman on the left holds what appears to be a pickaxe or mining tool, while the well-dressed man on the right looks alarmed, clutching his wallet. The satire plays on the literal meaning of "gold digger" by showing the woman as an actual prospector attacking a man for his money. This reflects 1920s social anxieties about women's changing roles—the recent suffrage movement (19th Amendment passed in 1920) and increasing female economic independence made some men fear predatory female behavior. The cartoon mocks both the "gold digger" stereotype and male paranoia about women's financial ambitions.