Judge — November 18, 1922 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Cover (November 18, 1922) This cover depicts a naval officer in dress uniform instructing a woman, with the caption "You may fire when ready, Gridley!" The phrase references a famous naval command from the Spanish-American War (1898), when Commodore George Dewey reportedly told Captain Charles Gridley "You may fire when ready, Gridley" during the Battle of Manila Bay—a celebrated moment in American military history. The satire appears to mock either the formality of naval protocol or possibly gender dynamics of the era by placing a woman in a military scenario using this iconic historical phrase. The exact joke is somewhat unclear without additional context, but it likely comments on contemporary social changes regarding women's roles or naval affairs circa 1922.