Judge — January 16, 1926 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents several interconnected jokes about wealthy men's social embarrassments. The top panel shows a doctor advising a gentleman to keep his coat buttoned to hide digestive distress at a social gathering—advice about maintaining composure and propriety despite bodily functions. The middle panels depict a man recounting an embarrassing incident: he allegedly shot a dog while hunting with a woman named Peggy, then fabricated a story claiming he'd killed "one of the smuggest guns in the county." The humor derives from his desperate attempt to save face through an absurd lie. The bottom panel shows Groucho (likely referencing Groucho Marx, the famous comedian) claiming he shot a dog, with reactions of shock ("Was he mad?"). The punchline suggests complete indifference to consequences. The satire targets upper-class masculine pretension—these men's obsessive concern with appearing dignified while repeatedly revealing their foolishness, poor judgment, and callousness. The recurring theme: social embarrassment and the transparent failures of their cover-up attempts.