Judge — November 27, 1926 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Cartoon Analysis: "Anatomical Effect of Continuous Residence in the New Zoning Apartments" This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes the physical deformities supposedly caused by living in New York City's new high-rise apartment buildings. The exaggerated figures show people with distorted, elongated bodies—stretched vertically like the skyscrapers surrounding them. One figure appears impossibly thin and tall, while others display warped proportions. The satire mocks two concerns: the cramped, vertical nature of modern apartment living and anxieties about urban density. By literally depicting residents as anatomically reshaped by their environment, the cartoonist humorously suggests that the new zoning regulations and resulting architecture fundamentally alter human beings. The toy-like scooter and children emphasize the absurdity of this "effect."