A complete issue · 24 pages · 1914
Judge — June 20, 1914
# "The Girl Who Put the 'Go' in Tango" This Judge magazine cover from June 20, 1914 satirizes the tango craze sweeping America during that era. The illustration depicts a woman in an exaggerated, dynamic tango pose—one arm thrust upward, her body in dramatic motion, with her dress flowing dramatically. The figure's wild hair and theatrical energy suggest she embodies the tango's reputation for being scandalous and uninhibited. The caption's pun ("go" in tango) mocks both the dance's popularity and anxieties about its supposedly immoral nature. The tango, imported from Argentina, was controversial among American moralists who viewed it as sexually suggestive and improper. This cartoon satirizes the enthusiasm young women had adopted for the dance despite—or because of—its disreputable reputation.
# Judge Magazine, June 20, 1914 The main cartoon shows a photographer and patient in a medical setting. The caption reads: "Photographer—Don't frown; smile! / Patient—I haven't smiled in years. / Photographer—(to assistant) Hurries. Come, bring the gentleman a copy of JUDGE." The joke relies on a common premise: that Judge magazine is so humorous it can make even the most persistently unhappy person smile. This was a standard self-promotional gag in satirical magazines of the era—asserting that their comedic content possessed almost medicinal value. The Millo cigarette advertisement below occupies substantial space, typical of magazine funding practices in 1914. The overall page emphasizes Judge's humor as entertainment with therapeutic properties.
# "Up and Down the Town" This is a satirical sketch series titled "Up and Down the Town: Being Unusual Sights of the Big City Drawn from Life by our Wandering Artist." The central large illustration depicts a crowded urban street scene, likely depicting lower Manhattan or a similar immigrant neighborhood. The detailed annotations and captions indicate specific social observations: "Bayard Street Better Known as Rag Alley Where One Can Buy All Trade of Sell Anything From A Cent to $5 Hat." The smaller sketches at top show nighttime beach scenes and summer activities. The bottom panel shows "An Impressionistic Sketch of a Vacant Lot Bone Show"—likely a street market or secondhand goods vendor scene. Overall, this appears to be *Judge* magazine's humorous documentation of quirky urban immigrant life and street commerce in early 1900s New York City.
