Judge — September 24, 1910 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Knox Hats, a real New York hatmaker established in 1838. The illustration shows six men in formal dress spanning different generations—labeled from 1840 onward—each wearing a top hat. The copy claims Knox hats have been "the standard" for over 70 years, suggesting their longevity and respectability across generations. The humor is gentle: the exaggerated caricatured faces and the genealogical conceit suggest that wearing Knox hats is so traditional it's practically hereditary. For a 1910 audience, top hats signified respectability and social standing, so the ad positions Knox as the choice of established gentlemen. This represents early 20th-century advertising's appeal to tradition and status—implying that proper men, across generations, chose Knox.