Judge, 1923-09-29 · page 14 of 36
Judge — September 29, 1923 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is Ralph Barton's satirical commentary on the Broadway revue "Artists and Models" at the Shubert Theatre. The cartoon mocks the show's reputation for risqué humor and the stereotype of bohemian artists as womanizers ("insatiable Lotharios"). The main illustration depicts a studio scene with Frank Fay as an affected artist (wearing the stereotypical beret and cravat), surrounded by scantily-clad models. The reference to "reopening of the saloons on the repeal of the Prohibition Act" dates this to the early 1930s, when Prohibition ended. The lower panel shows audience members registering disapproval, suggesting that despite the show's scandalous reputation, mainstream society—represented by "the American Public"—finds it morally objectionable rather than entertaining. The satire targets both the pretensions of the artistic community and the prudish hypocrisy of audiences who attend such shows while publicly condemning them.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
IS THERE A PSYCHO-ANALYST IN THE AUDIENCE?—by Ralph Barton The Artists themselves foster the quaint tradition that they are insatiable Lotharios in the century’s most ribald revue—“Artists and Models”; written, designed \ and staged by the New York artists at the Shubert. | Miss Etta Pillard me .( and Mr. Harry Kelly. nena Ler meeps A more or less faithful depictment of one of the studio scenes, with Mr. Frank Fay as an artist, in the customary dirigible-envelope tam-o’-shanter, voluminous cravat and smock, singing mammz songs and painting (if one is to judge from the models) decorations for the reopening of the saloons on the repeal of the Prohibition Act. A section of the nightly standing-room, showing the American Public registering its disapproval of the unwholesome type of humor. comicbooks.com