Judge — October 20, 1928 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is the cover of *Judge* magazine (October 1938, 15 cents). The illustration depicts a young woman riding a horse while wielding a polo mallet, labeled "The Poor Little Country Girl" with a "Counter Club Number" notation. The satire appears to mock wealthy women who adopt a "poor country girl" persona or aesthetic while engaging in elite leisure activities like polo. The irony lies in the contradiction: she's labeled poor yet depicted engaging in an expensive, exclusive sport associated with the wealthy upper class. This likely satirizes a social trend of the 1930s where affluent women affected rural or working-class identities as a fashionable affectation, while maintaining their privileged lifestyles. The cartoon's humor depends on recognizing this class performance and hypocrisy.