Judge, 1922-05-27 · page 11 of 36
Judge — May 27, 1922 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Judge* magazine satirizes an all-Black musical revue that has been running successfully for nearly a year. The main cartoon depicts characters from this show alongside figures discussing politics and crime in early 20th-century urban America. The speech bubble references a "dark horse" candidate refusing to accept a "black mayor," reflecting racist anxieties about Black political participation. Other dialogue jokes about crime on "Sixty-third street" and a character's habitual theft from a cash register, using stereotypical caricatures common to the era's racist humor. The caption credits artists including "Shuffle Along" cast members (Aubrey Lyles, F.E. Miller, Lottie Gee, Arthur Little visible as labels), referencing the famous 1921 Broadway show. The satire conflates entertainment success with criminal stereotypes and political resistance, reflecting the period's casual racial mockery presented as humor in mainstream publications.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The all -colored musical knockout, which has been turning them away for nearly a year, and is still going strong. “And you tell me I haven't enough brains to have a decent head- ache! Well, gentle- men, as I stand here and gaze into each and every one of your eyes, I want to say that I may be a dark horse, but I ain't going to stand him being no black mayor. Think I'm going to let him be mayor and me be the common people?” FE MILLER AUBREY Lvtes Lorrie ~—_> yy, “It was so dark you had to light the second match to see “You won't be through stealing until you die. This cash register if the first one was lit, and is getting to be a regular thoroughfare. Now, when I come back, I it's that way every night in want to find some of the store here—and, by the way, the telephone’ Sixty-third street.” company said before you tried to call up to call around.’