Judge — October 15, 1921 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Tripp's Beanery Blows Up at Yapp's Crossing" This satirical illustration depicts a chaotic street scene following an explosion at what appears to be Tripp's restaurant ("beanery"). The cartoon shows the destruction's aftermath with debris scattered across a town square, featuring various businesses identifiable by storefront signs (a hash house, printing establishment, drug store, meat market, and news stand). The humor derives from the double meaning of "beanery"—a cheap restaurant, but here suggesting the explosion resulted from the notorious digestive effects of beans. The cartoon satirizes small-town life and the domino effect of disaster, with townspeople, animals, and debris strewn about in exaggerated panic. The artist is credited as Johnny Gruelle at the bottom. This appears to be a classic Judge magazine visual gag playing on bathroom humor and small-town calamity for comedic effect.