Judge — February 12, 1921 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Any Port in a Stork-Room" This February 1921 cartoon depicts five men in formal attire toasting in what appears to be a storage room or cellar. The title's pun references Prohibition, which had just begun (January 1920), making alcohol illegal. "Any port in a storm" becomes "any port in a stork-room"—likely alluding to both drinking venues and the need to find alternative places to consume alcohol during Prohibition's enforcement. The men appear to be wealthy or well-connected individuals finding illicit ways to drink despite the new law. The cartoon satirizes how Prohibition, intended to eliminate drinking, actually drove consumption underground into speakeasies and private locations. The joke targets the hypocrisy of those with means who circumvent the law while ordinary citizens face stricter enforcement.