Judge, 1881-12-31 · page 13 of 22
Judge — December 31, 1881 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Judge* magazine is primarily **advertising disguised as editorial content**. The left side features a dramatic advertisement for "Dr. Scott's Electric Hair Brush"—a Victorian-era medical device claiming to cure headaches, neuralgia, baldness, and various ailments through electrical stimulation. The right column presents a mock "extraordinary offer" supposedly from "the President, the Senate, [and] all good citizens," sarcastically endorsing this quack remedy. The satire lies in the juxtaposition: *Judge* is ridiculing the absurd medical claims and fraudulent advertising practices of the era by presenting the brush's promotion as if it were an official government endorsement—thereby mocking both the product and the gullible public that bought such snake oil. The cartoon's message: American consumers were being duped by pseudoscientific health gadgets, and legitimate institutions were complicit through their silence or credibility-lending. This reflects *Judge's* role as social commentary on consumer fraud and medical charlatanism in the late 19th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE JUDGE. i o£ ‘THE AN ELEGANT PRESIDENT, Holiday Present. “Jon: SENATE, |} ALL GOOD CITIZENS And their Wives Are Requested to Real the Following EXTRAORDINARY OFFER. The Proof of the Pudding i Eating, and the F Association of London feels that all who read this offer wi mit that it is a new de business practice, and one which should beencouraged, Hf alladver- tisers would follow this nm public would not be humbug remedic article would) qui doubt and suspi During the 1 ‘ancy Store will let pots Beautiful Ele fail to cure I Rheumatic — Pai Sleepl ete, IN A FEW MINUTE: quickly cure Bi and Dandruff, t Z iT to the store and the price will be re- funded. Being nicely boxed and handsomely carvec y make an wnt Holida; propriate, useful, Present can be found, and they good, not only for the afflicted, but the well . They PRE T as well as cure, are made of Pure Bristles, > WIRES. Should be used daily like any Hair Brush, There is no shock or feeling attending their use, That Hea pin will be cu MINUTES. pillsand drugs for one week, and try these celebrated Brushes, You will never regret it, ASK YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN, and re- member you run no risk in buying. They will_positively_promote_a quick growth of hair on bald heads, where the glands and_follicles_are not totally destroyed. a Sf - S 1A Apply now, early, as the large de- yy S C OT . ‘ mand in England limits the supply sent to the American market this season, Sent post-paid on the same 3 terms, by the Pi " . sociation, > York, on receipt of $3, and 10 cents for registration, comicbooks.com