Judge — May 23, 1903 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is the cover of Judge's "Automobile Number" issue, priced at 10 cents. The illustration by Barron Stanaws depicts two elegantly dressed women in Edwardian attire posing with early 1900s automobiles—one woman standing in front, another seated in the vehicle behind her. The satire likely comments on automobiles as luxury status symbols accessible primarily to wealthy women of the era. The elaborate clothing, refined poses, and prominent display of the vehicles suggest Judge is satirizing the automobile's role in high society and conspicuous consumption among the upper class. The "Automobile Number" designation indicates this issue focuses on the nascent automobile industry, which was becoming culturally significant in 1903 as a marker of wealth and modernity.