Judge — July 31, 1920 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Cover, July 31, 1920 The main illustration depicts two women with small dogs in a suburban setting. The caption reads: "The Pedigree—Now, what d'you think o' this? And me a lineal descendant of the Chief Household Pet of the late Dowager Empress of China!" **The Satire:** This mocks the pretentiousness of dog owners who boast about their pets' aristocratic lineage. One woman proudly claims her dog descends from the Chinese Empress's pet, a ridiculous pedigree claim meant to convey status. The joke targets American social climbing and snobbery—the absurd lengths people go to establish superiority through ancestry, even for animals. The three dog portraits below compare different breeds, likely continuing the theme of pedigree obsession. This reflects 1920s anxieties about class and social positioning in post-WWI America.