Judge — June 1, 1912 — page 24: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer advertisement from *Judge* magazine. The ad depicts a Black waiter serving beer and oysters with the headline "Looks Good—Tastes Good." The accompanying text states: "The waiter knows that he is serving a discriminating guest when ordered to bring Pabst Blue Ribbon." **What this reveals:** This advertisement relies on a deeply racist caricature and stereotype—portraying a Black server as inherently knowing how to serve "discriminating" (elite) guests. The imagery and messaging use the racial caricature to associate the beer brand with quality and refinement, exploiting both racist visual tropes and labor stereotypes common in early 20th-century American advertising. This represents the casual, normalized racism embedded in period advertising that modern viewers would find shocking and offensive.