Judge — September 17, 1921 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Taxi, Mister, Taxi?" This cartoon by Penny Barlow depicts children operating a makeshift taxi service using a small wheeled cart or wagon. The caption "TAXI, MISTER, TAXI?" suggests the children are soliciting adult customers. The satire appears to target child labor and entrepreneurship during a period when such practices were common. The "happy medium" subtitle implies commentary on finding a compromise or middle ground—possibly satirizing how society tolerated children performing adult economic roles. The formal dress of the adults and children suggests this is middle-class commerce rather than street poverty, which may sharpen the cartoon's critique: that even respectable families allowed children to engage in work typically reserved for adults. The umbrellas and gate suggest a genteel residential setting, making the incongruity more pointed.