Judge, 1925-09-12 · page 13 of 37
Judge — September 12, 1925 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be a humorous comic strip about an American tourist named Betty visiting Paris. The satire targets American cultural ignorance abroad through Betty's comical misunderstandings: 1. **Marie Antoinette's home**: Betty mistakes the palace for a hotel, reflecting stereotypical American unfamiliarity with European history and architecture. 2. **The Fountain of Neptune**: She treats it irreverently as a carnival ride ("Ride 'em cowboy!"), embodying the brash American tourist stereotype. 3. **Historical ignorance**: The final caption jokes that Betty confuses "historical background" with "hysterical"—suggesting Americans are both illiterate and boisterous. 4. **The guide's commentary**: A guide can't tell if he's insulting or praising Napoleon, implying Betty's presence makes serious discourse impossible. The cartoon satirizes both American tourists' lack of sophistication and their disrespect for European cultural monuments, a common theme in 1920s American humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Petty goes Abroad | She doesn't know whether the guide is swear- ing at Napoleon or prais- ing him. Ride *em cowboy! Betty takes a Betty visits the home gallop on the Fountain of Neptune. ef Marie Antoinette. 4 She always thought it was a hotel. ~ LU “Pober! Quterso a- *Verraillep ° They were taking movies at the Petit Trianon. The director told Betty they were doing a play with an historical background. She thought he should have said hysterical.