Judge — September 7, 1912 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Judge Advertisers Number One: "Picturesque America" This is a satirical cartoon titled "Picturesque America" with the subtitle "A blot upon it that ought to be effaced." The image depicts a scenic American roadside cluttered with commercial billboards and signs advertising products like gasoline, ice cream, ale, seaweed mixture, and tourist services. The satire targets America's commercialization of its natural landscape. Rather than preserving scenic routes as picturesque destinations, advertisers have plastered the countryside with garish signs. Early-20th-century travelers (shown in cars and on bicycles) navigate through this visual chaos. The cartoon critiques how American commerce exploits natural beauty for profit, transforming "picturesque America" into an eyesore of competitive advertising—a commentary on unregulated commercial expansion damaging the nation's aesthetic heritage.