A 1916 illustration from La Baïonnette by Jacques Nam presents a playful animal fable staged like a chorus. Gathered creatures look inward as the talkative magpie at the center has finally been silenced, allowing the rest to be heard. The humor lies in gesture and arrangement rather than exaggeration, turning group dynamics into quiet satire.
The original caption captures the punchline more directly: “Did you see the magpie? It was the only way to make her keep quiet!” Nam lets the animals carry the joke, relying on posture, expression, and rhythm rather than exaggeration.
Natural wood, black, or white frames with matching hands | Silent quartz mechanism
This 1889 Judge cover by Grant E. Hamilton turns the fight to host the 1893 World’s Fair into a piece of political theater. Chicago, New York, St. Louis, and Washington appear like anxious suitors peeking through a curtain, each hoping to be chosen while a family watches the drama unfold. It’s a gentle but sharp jab at how civic pride, national ambition, and political lobbying often slide into spectacle.
Printed at a moment when cities were pouring money, favors, and political capital into winning the Fair, the illustration captures the competition with humor and a surprisingly modern eye.
Over a century later, it still reads as a reminder that the scramble for power and prestige has never been rational—just louder, more frantic, and always a bit ridiculous.
Natural wood, black, or white frames with matching hands | Silent quartz mechanism
