Judge — February 22, 1908 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features an elegant pen-and-ink illustration of a fashionable woman with elaborate curled hair and a wide-brimmed hat, accompanied by the poem "THIS IS NOT MY AFFINITY." The poem expresses a woman's rejection of certain character types as romantic partners—specifically those who are artistic, vain, cowardly, or superficially charming. She declares preference instead for strength and substance over vanity or artistic temperament. The satire appears to target the "Gibson Girl" aesthetic and the romantic ideals of the early 1900s, mocking both the elaborate fashion sense depicted and the sentimental courtship conventions of the era. The poem humorously asserts that despite her fashionable appearance, this woman values genuine character over the superficial qualities typically associated with her social class. The artist's signature is visible but unclear in the reproduction.