Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #21 — page 24: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang* (page 23) is primarily text rather than cartoons—it's satirical social commentary about Havana, Cuba, likely from the 1920s Prohibition era. The author mockingly describes Havana as a haven for moral vices: bars, brothels, and women of loose reputation. He contrasts modern Havana unfavorably with romanticized ancient courtesans, quoting Flaubert's lament about the decline of the *fille de joie* (prostitute). The satire targets both Cuban society and American hypocrisy—while Americans faced Prohibition at home, they traveled to nearby Havana for uninhibited pleasures. The piece uses classical references and period French terminology to add ironic sophistication to what is essentially crude social criticism about sex work and American escapism.