A complete issue · 28 pages · 1916
Judge — August 26, 1916
# "A Bathing Suit" — Judge Magazine, August 26, 1916 This illustration by James Montgomery Flagg depicts two figures in swimwear standing in water, apparently comparing their bathing suits. The cartoon appears to satirize changing fashion standards for swimwear during the 1910s, when women's bathing costumes were becoming increasingly abbreviated and form-fitting—a source of social controversy and debate. The contrast between the two figures suggests commentary on evolving attitudes toward acceptable beachwear. The woman's more streamlined, shorter suit with horizontal stripes represents modern style, while the man's fuller coverage may represent traditional conventions. The satire likely mocks either prudish resistance to fashion change or the absurdity of the ongoing debate over women's modest beachwear during this period.
# "The Great Bank Robbery"—The Movie Hold-Up at Yapp's Crossing This satirical cartoon depicts a chaotic street scene labeled as a movie production hold-up at "Yapp's Crossing." The illustration shows a small-town main street with various buildings—a Grange Hall, Elite Grocery, and church—surrounded by numerous people, horses, and film equipment in disarray. The satire appears to mock the disruption caused by film productions coming to small towns. The title's phrase "movie hold-up" is a pun: rather than a bank robbery, it's a film shoot (likely of a Western or crime drama) that has figuratively "held up" or disrupted normal town life. The crowded, anarchic scene emphasizes how moviemaking operations overtook and overwhelmed quiet rural communities during the silent film era.
