Judge — August 25, 1928 — page 23: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon mocks the theatrical and social pretensions of opening night audiences. The title references "vanities"—likely referring to vanity productions or self-important theatrical events. The cartoon depicts various absurd figures at what appears to be a fancy premiere or society event: women in exaggerated evening wear, men in formal dress, and theatrical performers striking dramatic poses. Multiple speech bubbles show characters exclaiming "HOW!" and "AND HOW!!!" in exaggerated enthusiasm. The satire targets affectation and empty praise in theater culture. The bottom panel's lengthy caption—about someone confidently citing a word's definition from last year's dictionary, only to realize it's outdated—extends the joke: these society types pretend knowledge and sophistication while being fundamentally shallow or uninformed. The overall message ridicules both the theatrical world's pretension and the "vanity" of audiences who attend primarily to be seen.