Judge, 1912-09-07 · page 8 of 24
Judge — September 7, 1912 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American advertising practices and social pretensions circa early 1900s. The top cartoon mocks the electric streetcar's replacement of stagecoaches—showing modern "progress" as chaotic. The main text section ridicules various professions' advertising claims: lawyers who pocket clients' money alongside their cases, ministers advertising heaven while congregants actually prefer clubs, and doctors claiming credit for patient recoveries. The "His Identity" joke mocks henpecked husbands, with Mr. Hennypeck claiming he's merely a husband, not a "lion tamer"—suggesting wives are dangerous animals requiring taming. The "Ads" poem celebrates the new phenomenon of electric illuminated advertisements lighting city streets at night—treating commercial glare as entertainment. The bottom illustration labeled "Well Met" uses a caricatured Black man and well-dressed white couple in a drinking scene, with crude racist imagery typical of the era. The accompanying verse makes jokes about collars and lunch—likely referring to servitude.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WESTERN IT’S A BULLY SMOKE! man in sight. The judicious advertiser would say, “Find the girl who uses my creams, my lotions, my hair puffs, my gowns, my’’-anything pertaining to his line of trade. Some folk don’t believe in a wordy advertisement. Actions speak louder than the vocabulary. There was an old maid of my acquaintance. She sought a hus- band. One young man (we all pitied him!) thought her all right and fairly doted on her eyes. Her eyes, then, should be her advertisement. One evening she placed a pin on the parlor rug. While he was in earnest confab, she exclaimed, ‘‘Why, there’s a pin Splendid sight! Marvelous advertis- ing acuteness! He was almost captured. Returning to him, she gave a scream. ‘Oh, John! a cat is on the kitchen table!’ Together to the kitchen they re- paired, but it wasn’t a cat; only a loaf of bread she herself had left there and, having forgotten, couldn’t distinguish because of punky optics. In this wise she advertised her misfortune, and the young man was saved from matrimony—with her, ‘at least. Professional men advertise. Doctors advertise that they do their patients good. And they do! over there!"’ Lawyers advertise that they will take a keen inter- est in each case—and prove this by taking also the prin- cipal. Ministers advertise a bet- ter place to come—which the men prove later by go- ing to the club. His Identity. “I presume you ne quarrel with your wif “Certainly not!’’ replied skimpy little Mr. Henny- peck. ‘I am merely a hus- band, not a lion tamer.’’ ver ELECTRIC—IT HAS SUPERSEDED THE STAGE COACH. Ads. See the gay electric ads— Glaring ads! With their bright illumination of neces- sities and fads! How they twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, Up and down the streets at night. While the multi-colored sprinkle Of some new fantastic wrinkle Fills the watcher with delight! How they gleam, gleam, gleam, In an iridescent stream, Just to catch the passing fancy of the endless crowd that gads "Neath the ads, ads, ads, ads, Ads, ads, ads— "Neath the blinking and the winking of the ads! Groce Re Stag, WELL MET. This likely chap and maid you kaow— You 've seen them oft before. And Sambo’s smiling face also A hit will often score The chap and maid are collared well, And slick is all the bunch ; The pair is willing to dispel The collar from the lunch comicbooks.com