Judge — October 23, 1926 — page 24: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon criticizes *Vanity Fair* magazine by suggesting that if readers entrust their cultural knowledge to it, they'll learn distorted versions of history. Each panel presents a famous historical scene rendered absurdly or incorrectly: - Columbus discovering America (shown as mere vanity) - Washington crossing the Delaware (depicted trivially) - Napoleon at Waterloo, Farragut and naval battles, Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth, and the Moscow retreat—all presented as frivolous rather than historically significant. The final figure appears to represent *Vanity Fair* itself. The joke targets the magazine's reputation for prioritizing style and celebrity gossip over substantive content, making it an unreliable source for serious historical understanding. This reflects early 20th-century criticism of *Vanity Fair's* focus on entertainment and fashion over journalistic rigor.