Judge — August 22, 1925 — page 20: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical comic strip by Milt Gross about Prohibition (the Volstead Act, which banned alcohol). The title "Shake Well Before Volstead" is a play on medicine bottle instructions. The narrative follows characters attempting to obtain and consume alcohol illegally during Prohibition. Various panels depict scheming, hiding contraband, sneaking around authorities, and the chaos of underground drinking culture. References include speakeasies (the building scene), bootlegging operations, and people evading law enforcement. The satire mocks both Prohibition's ineffectiveness and the public's determination to circumvent it. Gross illustrates how the law created criminal enterprise and farcical behavior among ordinary citizens. The comic suggests Prohibition caused more disorder than order—hence the repeated "YOW!" exclamations conveying chaos and mayhem throughout the strip.