A complete issue · 16 pages · 1893
Judge — September 2, 1893
# Analysis This Judge magazine cover from September 2, 1893 depicts a circus scene titled "WHOA!!" A bucking horse throws its rider (a man in formal dress) while a clown or carnival performer watches nearby. The crowd fills the tent background. The cartoon likely satirizes a political or social figure of 1893 who has lost control of a situation—the "bucking" representing unexpected chaos or failure. The circus setting suggests incompetence or loss of dignity in a public spectacle. Without clearer identifying marks or text, the specific target remains unclear, though the satirical intent—mocking someone's inability to manage circumstances—is evident. The artist's signature reads "Verdi" or similar.
# "The Slide Waltz" — Judge Magazine Cartoon This cartoon depicts a social dance scene titled "The Slide Waltz," captioned with the quote: "Don't no use talkin', Mistah Raffbone; I samtly does talk t' waltz wif Mistah Hen-tresh touches de groun'." The satire appears to mock fashionable dancing trends of the era, particularly a new dance style where partners maintain minimal contact with the floor—a "sliding" waltz. The dialect-heavy caption suggests the figure is an African American character expressing skepticism or complaint about the dance's demands. The cartoon satirizes both the absurdity of elite social dancing fads and likely contemporary anxieties about modern dance styles, presenting the new waltz as impractical or undignified compared to traditional dancing standards.
