Judge — October 2, 1926 — page 14: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes **Prohibition** and its enforcement. The central cauldron labeled "INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL" represents a dangerous brewing problem—industrial alcohol being illegally diverted for consumption during Prohibition (1920-1933). The tall skeletal figure in the top hat holding a revolver represents **Prohibition enforcement** or the law itself. Two figures stir the cauldron: one labeled "DETECTIVE" and another appearing to be a smuggler or bootlegger, suggesting corruption or collusion between enforcers and lawbreakers. The Shakespeare quote ("Macbeth," Act IV) implies witchcraft and trouble brewing. The cartoon's message: Prohibition's enforcement creates a dangerous, bubbling mess of industrial poison, criminality, and hypocrisy—with authorities either complicit or ineffectual in controlling the resulting chaos.