Judge — April 9, 1932 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Judge" Cartoon Analysis: "Judge" (1929 vs. 1937) This political cartoon compares two time periods through the metaphor of a courthouse building. In **1929**, numerous men in suits rush frantically away from the courthouse, carrying briefcases—likely depicting stockbrokers or businessmen fleeing after the October 1929 stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression. In **1937**, the same courthouse stands nearly empty with a solitary figure walking away slowly, suggesting economic stagnation persisting years into the Depression. The contrast satirizes how the initial panic of 1929 gave way to prolonged economic hardship and unemployment throughout the 1930s. The title "Judge" references the magazine itself, using the courthouse as visual commentary on America's economic crisis and judicial/legal system's inability to resolve it.