Judge — March 19, 1927 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Judge" Cartoon Analysis This cartoon satirizes a 1920s "flapper"—a young woman of the Jazz Age known for defying social conventions and enjoying nightlife. The humor centers on a woman unable to become intoxicated despite access to alcohol and drinks at what appears to be a speakeasy or party setting. During Prohibition (1920-1933), obtaining alcohol was illegal but common in underground venues. The joke plays on the era's association of flappers with drinking and partying as markers of modern independence. The "pitiful case" presents her inability to get drunk as a social predicament—implicitly mocking both the flapper lifestyle and Prohibition's ineffectiveness at controlling drinking culture. The elaborate party scene in the background emphasizes the irony: surrounded by revelry and alcohol, she remains sober.