Judge — February 22, 1930 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This single cartoon depicts a woman (labeled "Shopper") in an art museum or gallery, standing before what appears to be an expensive Persian tapestry or artwork (marked "$70,000"). She's asking a guard or attendant if he could cut off a small sample to show her husband. The satire targets wealthy women's extravagant spending habits and materialism. The joke is absurd—asking to damage a priceless artwork for a home shopping errand—suggesting the shopper views even museum-quality treasures as mere commodities to purchase. It mocks both the frivolousness of affluent female consumers and the impracticality of their desires. The humor relies on the incongruity between proper museum conduct and casual consumer behavior.