Judge — December 1, 1928 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This cartoon satirizes **Jim Tully**, a writer/celebrity of the 1920s-30s, as "Boobus Intelligentsius"—mocking his pretensions to intellectual sophistication. The scene shows Tully (the figure in the top hat, center) hosting a tea gathering for his admirers. The satire targets the affectations of both Tully and his social circle: various well-dressed guests cluster around the room, some examining drinks, others making theatrical gestures. The cartoon suggests these gatherings are pompous performances where mediocre intellectuals pose as cultured sophisticates. The Latin-derived title "Boobus Intelligentsius" is itself satirical wordplay—"boobus" implying foolishness or "boobism." Judge magazine regularly ridiculed celebrities and intellectual pretenders, and this piece mocks what it presents as hollow, performative intellectualism among Tully's circle. The humor depends on readers recognizing Tully as a recognizable (if now obscure) public figure worthy of such mockery.