Judge — March 20, 1926 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# A Particularly Absent-Minded Citizen This multi-panel comic from Judge magazine depicts a man who consistently forgets basic aspects of daily life. The sequence shows him: oversleeping in bed, jubilantly waking up, shaving with a tire, attempting to shave again, exercising with swords, chasing money, fencing with a sword, boarding crowded public transport vehicles, and finally returning to bed confused. The satire appears to mock absent-mindedness as a character flaw—showing how a distracted person might confuse ordinary objects (using a tire as a razor), mistake activities, or generally fumble through life's routines. This was likely relatable humor for early 20th-century audiences familiar with slapstick comedy. The title emphasizes that such absentmindedness marks someone as a problematic "citizen," suggesting the social consequences of inattention and carelessness.