A complete issue · 29 pages · 1917
Judge — December 29, 1917
# Judge Magazine Cover, December 29, 1917 This is a New Year's greeting cover by artist James Montgomery Flagg. The illustration shows a woman's face transformed into a clock face, with the clock hands positioned at midnight (12 o'clock), marking the transition from 1917 to 1918. The image plays on the traditional New Year's imagery of time passing and new beginnings. The woman's features—her hair, eyes, and mouth—are integrated into the clock design, creating a visual pun about time and femininity. Published during World War I (the U.S. entered in April 1917), this cover simply offers seasonal well-wishes to readers rather than political commentary. It's characteristic of Judge magazine's lighter holiday content.
# Judge Magazine, December 29, 1917 This is primarily a **contents page and advertisement** rather than a satirical cartoon. The left side advertises "Women of All Nations" — an encyclopedic work featuring photographs and descriptions of women from different races and climates, emphasizing exotic dress and customs. The framing reflects early 20th-century anthropological interests and attitudes typical of that era. The right side lists **Judge's table of contents** for a New Year's issue. Featured articles include political/social satire ("The Modern Milk Problem," "Higher Mathematics," "Suffrage Facts and Fancies"), suggesting the magazine addressed contemporary debates including women's suffrage — a major political issue in 1917, the year before the 19th Amendment passed.
# "In Bone Dry Land" - Prohibition-Era Satire This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes life during Prohibition (the ban on alcohol sales, 1920-1933). The title "In Bone Dry Land" refers to the dry/alcohol-free society that Prohibition was meant to create. The comic depicts a chaotic street scene showing widespread *secret* drinking despite the legal ban. Visible establishments include "The Nut Sundae Club" (serving near-beer and sanctioned drinks), a pharmacy (which legally sold alcohol for "medicinal" purposes), and hidden speakeasies. Signs reference smuggled whiskey and the "Camel Route" bootleg operation. The satire's point: Prohibition failed spectacularly. Rather than eliminating drinking, it drove the activity underground, creating criminal enterprises, hypocrisy, and public disorder. The cartoon mocks both the law's ineffectiveness and society's continued thirst for forbidden alcohol.
