Judge, 1923-10-20 · page 18 of 36
Judge — October 20, 1923 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is Ralph Barton's satirical illustration of Irving Berlin's *Music Box Revue III*, a Broadway theatrical revue. The cartoon depicts caricatured performers and entertainers of the 1923 production arranged around a music box stage set. Identifiable figures include Grace Moore (labeled, center) and Florence Moore (labeled, lower right), both performers in the revue. Joseph Santley appears labeled on the left. The cartoon exaggerates performers' features in typical 1920s caricature style—elongated faces, prominent noses, and comic proportions. The subtitle describes them as "pretty playthings" that Berlin presents before "the Weary Man of Affairs," suggesting satire of Broadway's commercial entertainment machine and how it caters to tired businessmen seeking escape. Barton's illustration mocks both the performers and the audience they entertained during the Jazz Age.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
: comicbooks.com Weary Man of Affairs, at The Music Box MUSIC BOX REVUE III—by RALPH BARTON Some of the pretty playthings that Irving Berlin sets before the