Judge — June 27, 1931 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The First Razor" - Judge Magazine Cartoon This cartoon satirizes humanity's invention of the razor in ancient times. The upper panel shows a primitive society with figures observing a central character demonstrating the first razor. The lower panel depicts the chaotic result: a figure bleeding profusely after apparently using it, suspended over a pit while others watch in alarm. The joke is straightforward slapstick humor: the "first razor" was likely dangerously crude and ineffective, causing the hapless user serious injury rather than a clean shave. By framing this as "ancient times," the cartoonist humorously suggests that even humanity's earliest attempts at personal grooming were disasters—a commentary on either primitive technology or human clumsiness with new inventions.