Judge, 1903-01-24 · page 5 of 16
Judge — January 24, 1903 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is part of a "Girls of Our Town" series from Judge magazine (1903). The illustration depicts an elegantly dressed Chicago woman in fashionable early 1900s attire—a large hat, fur stole, and long dark gown—drawn by artist James Montgomery Flagg. The accompanying verse presents a genteel compliment: the Chicago girl is a "peachy pearl" so beautiful that even pearl divers would forget actual pearls beneath the sea. The satire is gentle rather than biting—it's flattering mockery of urban sophistication and feminine attractiveness, typical of Judge's lighthearted social commentary. The piece celebrates Chicago's elegant women as representatives of American civic pride, playing on period ideals of beauty and urban refinement. This was likely one in a series showcasing different American cities' characteristic "types."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Chicago Cs is a fair Chicago girl, A berita- ble peachy pearl, Who makes the div- er in his glee Forget the pearls beneath the sea. VAMES MONTGOMERY FLACG i 9 . - COPYRIGHT 1903, BY JUDGE COMPANY OF NEW TORK NO. 3—"THE GIRLS OF OUR TOWN.”