A complete issue · 16 pages · 1896
Judge — July 11, 1896
# "Small Choice in Rotten Apples" — Judge, July 11, 1896 This political cartoon satirizes the 1896 U.S. presidential election choices. An old farmer, labeled with what appears to be a voter's tag, examines rotten apples spilling from a basket. The apples likely represent the major candidates or platforms available to voters that year—specifically the competing visions of William McKinley (Republican) and William Jennings Bryan (Democrat/Populist), whose campaigns centered on currency policy and economic direction. The "rotten apples" metaphor suggests both major candidates were equally undesirable or corrupt options. The rural farmer figure emphasizes how ordinary working Americans felt trapped between unsatisfactory political choices, unable to find a genuinely appealing candidate regardless of their selection.
# "A Hint" Cartoon Analysis This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes political corruption and bribery during the Gilded Age. The central image depicts a well-dressed man (labeled "Darkdevil Dave") apparently offering money to two younger men labeled "Alkali Ike" and another figure, with the caption "A Hint—'Is it true de boys sent Roogy Roswick to de legislatures?'" The cartoon mocks how politicians and wealthy interests used bribery to secure legislative votes, particularly regarding labor and business issues. The "hint" involves passing money—a transparent reference to vote-buying and political favoritism. The working-class characters' dialectal speech emphasizes the class divide between wealthy manipulators and common voters. This reflects Progressive Era concerns about political machines and corruption influencing American democracy.
# Judge Magazine Page 19 - Analysis **Top Cartoon ("Inconsistent"):** Shows Wild Marge (appears to be a character) in military/formal dress contradicting herself about eating at a boarding house versus claiming her custom was "delicate." The satire targets hypocrisy about social standards. **"Martha Washington's Watch":** A sentimental poem about a cherished heirloom watch, likely reflecting nostalgia for American historical figures and domestic virtue—common Judge themes. **"The Objection" and "Adapted by Nature":** Brief comic exchanges mocking young women's bicycle costumes as unfeminine and making young men look "girlish," and joking about a boy's inability to spell. **"The Evolution of the Porcupine":** Three sequential drawings show a porcupine apparently learning to ride a bicycle, satirizing the bicycle craze's absurdity or celebrating technological progress humorously. The page reflects 1890s concerns: social propriety, women's changing fashion, and cycling's cultural novelty.
# Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page contains several satirical pieces typical of Judge's humor circa early 1900s: **"The Lass That Loved a Sailor"** mocks romantic misunderstandings—a man jealously assumes a woman's preference for sailors, only to learn she was complimenting the woman's hat, not the sailor himself. **"Pharaoh Objected"** is a historical satire anachronistically applying modern banking to ancient Egypt. Joseph suggests Pharaoh establish savings institutions; Pharaoh objects to calling them "Pharaoh banks" (likely mocking contemporary "bank" terminology or branding). **"Two Shavers"** depicts a haggling customer disputing a barber's price, with the barber suggesting he simply shave the customer's head—contemporary commentary on male grooming costs. **"Too Light for the Money"** advertises bicycles through dialogue mocking a dealer's claim; a customer references buying a heavier bike cheaper elsewhere. The scattered aphorisms ("Truth in Brevities," "Breath Preservers") offer social commentary on standards, women's suffrage, and racial stereotypes (the latter using period offensive dialect).
