Judge — June 26, 1886 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be a satirical cartoon about budget-conscious newlyweds using advertising as interior decoration. The image shows a couple in what looks like a sparsely furnished room adorned with various advertisements and commercial signage instead of traditional artwork or decorations. The satire mocks both the commercialization of domestic life and the financial constraints of young married couples. By literally "furnishing cheaply" with ads rather than proper artwork, the cartoon critiques how advertising permeates even intimate home spaces. The title suggests this is a tongue-in-cheek "suggestion" for economical decorating—free advertising posters serving as wall hangings. This reflects Gilded Age anxieties about consumerism and advertising's expanding influence on American life and domestic culture.