Judge — September 16, 1911 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a Judge magazine cover from September 16, 1911, titled "Judge Smokers' Number." The illustration shows a bird emerging from cigar smoke, with "The Aroma" captioned below. The cartoon is a straightforward visual pun celebrating cigars and smoking. The bird—likely a dove or similar creature—materializes from the smoke wisps rising from a cigar positioned at the bottom of the image. The joke plays on the literal meaning of "aroma" (fragrance) by depicting the smoke itself taking bird form. This appears to be promotional content for a special "smokers' edition" of the magazine, when cigars were socially acceptable and widely advertised. The price was 10 cents. There's no apparent political satire here—it's simply witty advertising imagery celebrating smoking culture.