Judge — May 4, 1929 — page 20: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes the experience of commuting on crowded public transportation, likely subway or streetcar systems in major American cities. The title "The Strap Hangers" refers to passengers literally clinging to overhead straps during rush hour. The scene depicts a gymnasium-like gymnasium where well-dressed men hang from overhead bars and straps in exaggerated, contorted poses—treating the crowded commute as involuntary exercise. A woman reclines prominently in the foreground, while spectators and attendants observe. The artwork mocks how passengers are packed together, suggesting the absurdity and physical strain of urban commuting has become an unintentional, involuntary "sport" or performance. The cartoon criticizes crowded public transit conditions as dehumanizing and ridiculous.