Judge — November 6, 1920 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Miserable Business" - Judge Magazine, November 6, 1920 This satirical illustration by Ellis Parker Butler depicts "Her Divorce Suit." The cartoon shows a man in a business suit pointing at a woman in fashionable 1920s attire, with the caption emphasizing the unpleasant nature of divorce proceedings. The satire targets the business-like, transactional handling of divorce cases—treating personal relationships as commercial matters to be resolved through legal procedures. The woman's composed, fashionable appearance contrasts with the man's accusatory gesture, suggesting the performative and adversarial nature of divorce court. Published just after women gained voting rights (1920), this reflects contemporary anxieties about changing gender relations and the growing visibility of divorce, which remained socially stigmatized but increasingly common among middle and upper classes.