Judge, 1892-12-03 · page 29 of 52
Judge — December 3, 1892 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page mocks soap advertising's ineffectiveness through six comic scenarios. Mr. Pratt, a soap vendor, attempts various promotional tactics—painting shop windows, airing rooms for warmth—yet struggles to attract customers. The humor derives from the contrast between his efforts and their futility. Lower panels shift to unrelated jokes: a schoolteacher's lesson on the word "bob" (a dangling object) where a student misapplies it to his sister's boyfriend; and an immigration scene where poor immigrants discuss remittances and whiskey, using thick dialect. The page satirizes both failed commercial advertising and, in the lower section, contemporary stereotypes about working-class and immigrant life. The "ups and downs" title suggests both the fluctuating fortunes of advertising and literal physical comedy throughout the panels. The overall tone is lighthearted mockery of American commercial culture and social classes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF SOAP ADVERTISING. tt og 1. Mr. PRatt—"' Windows all painted and glazed, 2. Mr, Pratr—"‘Ilenry, go through the rooms and open some of the to attract some business.” ” windows, It's going to be a warm day. Good-morning, gentlemen. After some of our soap, Jouy Lye—" Lestalaunt. Lat soupee, sign say” (Exit Mr. P. (0 investigate.) AT THESEND:OF HER STRING: d ot sint me tae money to bring me till ScHOOL-TEACHER—"* Tommy Wilkins, what is a bob?" il the letther thot I must be a sound Demmycrat Tommy W Anything that plays loosely at the end of a string.’ ‘hat's thot 2” ‘TEACHER- . Now give me a sentence using the word in that sense.” i Par —" Der is it? I hear it be a new kind o' demi they Tommy W.—" My sister Nellie has a beau named Bob.” fill wid whisky, over there, and thot don’t lake a drap.”” comicbooks.com