Judge — January 26, 1901 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is the cover of Judge magazine from January 26, 1901. The central image depicts a figure (identified in the caption as "Aladdin") holding an enormous illuminated kerosene lamp, with another figure visible in shadow beside him. The accompanying text references a "genie of gigantic size, named Wealth" who grants wishes—a clear reference to the Aladdin legend. The satire appears to target **John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil**, likely the world's dominant kerosene producer. By portraying oil wealth as a magical lamp controlled by a genie named "Wealth," Judge mocks Rockefeller's enormous industrial power and suggests his financial dominance grants wishes like a fairy tale—a pointed commentary on monopolistic corporate power and wealth concentration in the Gilded Age.