Judge — July 23, 1921

# Analysis This page is primarily **advertising copy**, not satire or political commentary. It's a promotional advertisement for *Leslie's* magazine (Leslie's Weekly), promoting the publication under new management. The ad emphasizes that *Leslie's* offers content that is "Informative, Instructive, Entertaining"—claiming the magazine features articles and pictures readers "like to see." The copy highlights the publication's "timeliness and refreshing attractiveness" as reasons for its appeal. The final line reads "It Is Interesting"—the ad's core pitch to potential readers. There are **no political cartoons or satirical figures** on this page. The decorative initial letter "A" is the only visual element besides the text layout itself. This is straightforward magazine promotion from what appears to be the early 20th century based on typography and advertising style.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine, July 23, 1921 This illustration by Onslow Lowell depicts an "Old Man Cornered" encountering what appears to be military or uniformed figures on a porch or veranda. The caption reads: "Well, Mommy, you and me never thought we'd live to see spurs on the pullets, did we?" The satire appears to mock the appearance of women wearing military-style boots or spurs—traditionally masculine military attire. "Pullets" (young hens) is slang for young women. This likely comments on post-WWI social changes, particularly women's shifting roles and dress conventions following the war, when women's fashion and social freedoms were rapidly modernizing. The "old man" represents conservative attitudes being confronted with these contemporary changes, creating humor through the clash between traditional and modern values.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Cartoon This page features an illustration by Walter de Maris titled "Oh, I could stand on this spot forever!" / "Yes, and wreck all the ships!" The cartoon depicts a woman standing on a rocky coastal outcrop, gesturing dramatically toward the sea where ships appear in the distance. A man beside her responds to her romantic declaration about the location. The satire appears to target female vanity or romantic sentimentality. The woman's poetic desire to remain in one beautiful spot is mocked through the man's retort suggesting her presence would cause maritime disaster—likely implying either that she's dangerously distracting to sailors or, less charitably, that her very existence poses a hazard. This reflects period attitudes combining romantic idealization of women with misogynistic humor about female foolishness or destructiveness.

# "Rent-Razzed Reddish" - Analysis This is a satirical short story illustrated by P.L. Crosby, mocking the housing crisis of 1917 New York. The protagonist, Rodney Reddish, is an advertising artist struggling with skyrocketing rent—jumping from $1,000 to $3,000 yearly. The satire targets how landlords exploited tenants during WWI housing shortages. Reddish desperately seeks affordable housing, eventually finding a cheap two-room apartment, only to discover it's inadequate (barely fits furniture, includes a rooster-haunted space). The illustration shows him cramped in his tiny living situation. The story mocks both Reddish's delusions about middle-class stability and the predatory rental market that trapped working professionals. It's commentary on economic desperation dressed as comedy—a relatable complaint for Judge's urban, middle-class readership.

# Explanation of This Judge Page This page contains two unrelated pieces: **Top Section:** A narrative about "Reddish," a struggling artist in 1920s New York. The text describes his poverty—$5,000/year rent for a tiny space, eating tomato-can labels—and his landlord's threat to evict him. The accompanying illustration shows Reddish and his landlord in conflict over living conditions. This satirizes the housing crisis and economic hardship facing working artists and poor New Yorkers during this era. **Bottom Section:** A cartoon titled "Rules of Golf, Illustrated" showing a woman in a garden confronting a man, captioned as an "umpire" deciding factual questions. The joke appears to mock golf's complex rules and how disputes are resolved, though the specific reference is unclear without broader context.

# Political/Social Context for Modern Readers This page contains three distinct pieces from *Judge* magazine (likely early 20th century): **Main Story Cartoon** (top): A rags-to-riches narrative about "Reddish," a man who suddenly becomes wealthy and moves to a fancy Park Avenue apartment, only to discover his wife Nellie—whom he thought was in jail—has become a successful advertising executive. The satire mocks post-WWI "Profiteer" wealth (war profiteers), nouveau-riche excess, and changing gender roles (the wife as breadwinner surprised him). **"Columbia" Cartoon** (bottom left): A classical female allegorical figure (Columbia, representing America) illustrated by the credited artists. **Miscellaneous Humor Snippets** (center-right): Brief joke exchanges, including one about a poet's rejected manuscript. **Poetry** ("The Dew Is on the Rose"): Sentimental verse about married life and enduring love—likely filler content. The page primarily satirizes American wealth inequality and social mobility during the post-WWI era.

# "Taking No Chances" - Judge Magazine Cartoon Analysis This comic story satirizes the early automobile era's uncertainty. Jones, a new car owner with zero mechanical knowledge, is about to drive when neighbor Brown—despite learning Jones can't adjust a carburetor, patch tires, or identify engine parts—eagerly joins him. Brown's reasoning reveals the joke's logic: an inexperienced driver means mechanical breakdown is inevitable, guaranteeing a quick phone call to a garage and train ride home. By contrast, if Jones *thought* he knew cars, he'd waste the entire day tinkering while Brown, out of politeness, would be trapped helping—resulting in frustration, quarreling, and a ruined afternoon. The satire targets both the era's newfangled automobile anxiety and human nature: sometimes admitting complete incompetence is more practical than pretending expertise. It's also a gentle jab at the social obligation to help a struggling friend, which could prove more exhausting than actual mechanical failure.

# Analysis: "Unknown" by Katherine Negley This story satirizes male superficiality and evolving standards of female beauty in the early 20th century. Negley presents three couples to expose what men *claim* to value versus what actually attracts them. The first man is proud to be seen with an elaborately made-up woman wearing fashionable jewelry and clothing—she's a status symbol. The second man appears humble with a naturally beautiful woman in refined, understated dress. The third man is genuinely happy with an unattractive, plainly dressed woman with no cosmetics or style. The concluding moral—that true attraction remains a mystery "as it was in the days of Adam and Eve"—suggests that despite all the artifice and fashion industry promises, authentic human connection defies explanation. The satire targets both the cosmetics industry's marketing and male pretense about their preferences. It's a commentary on how beauty standards and consumer culture were reshaping courtship and female self-presentation during this period.

# Analysis This is a portrait sketch titled "Among Those Pleasant—At Rex Beach," drawn by Leo Mielziner from life for *Judge* magazine. The caption describes a man (Mr. Beach) who defiantly exposes himself to harsh winter conditions—walking in blizzards with his throat bare to freezing wind. The satire appears to mock someone's affected toughness or stubborn disregard for comfort. The phrase "the art of Mr. Beach suggests" indicates this is satirizing a particular public figure's persona or reputation for hardy indifference to hardship. Without seeing the referenced article on the opposite page, the full context is unclear, but the cartoon ridicules what Judge considered an affectation of masculine toughness or defiant stoicism. The accompanying text (partially OCR'd and illegible here) likely provides additional satirical commentary on this characteristic.

# "On the Rex Beach" — Judge Magazine Analysis This article by George Mitchell humorously profiles **Rex Beach**, a popular adventure novelist known for stories set in the frozen North and Klondike. Mitchell satirizes Beach's writing by imagining him composing in extreme cold—literally freezing himself to achieve authenticity. The joke rests on Beach's reputation for vivid outdoor narratives filled with primitive emotions, miners, and Arctic terminology (igloos, eemiaks, angekoks). Mitchell gently mocks both Beach's intensity and the reading public's reaction, noting that one reader couldn't lay down his frozen book—a witty conflation of emotional engagement with literal ice. The accompanying cartoons are unrelated satirical sketches: one about aggressive salesmanship, another about an auto insurance claim. The piece celebrates Beach as a notable literary figure while poking fun at the overwrought earnestness of adventure fiction popular in the early 20th century.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page **"The Truth in a Bombshell"** satirizes parental boasting. Mrs. Sixrumes brags that her young son Edward demonstrates adult-level intelligence and diplomacy in telephoning orders to the delicatessen. The humor's "bombshell" arrives when Edward himself appears and reveals the truth: the grocer refuses delivery until the family pays overdue bills from March, April, and May. The child's blunt honesty exposes the mother's exaggeration—his "diplomacy" was merely relaying a creditor's demand. **"A Lesson in Patriotism"** (bottom comic strip) appears to depict American servicemen or soldiers with a flag, though the specific narrative is unclear from the image alone. The title suggests satire about patriotic conduct or military behavior. The remaining brief pieces ("Prerogative," "Egg View News-Notes," "A Family Model," "The Boozer's Ancient Prayer") are humorous anecdotes about small-town life, courtship, and domestic situations typical of Judge's satirical humor.