Judge — October 2, 1915 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Love's Jitney Bus" — Judge, October 2, 1915 This illustration satirizes romantic courtship as a "jitney bus" ride—likely referencing the popular low-cost jitney buses that were common urban transportation circa 1915. The silhouetted couple appears to be courting beneath drooping fruit trees (suggesting fertility or natural romance), while the landscape below is rendered as rolling waves decorated with heart motifs. The joke plays on the metaphor of love as a journey or ride. The "jitney" reference suggests romance has become cheap, quick, and standardized—mass-produced rather than special. The pastoral, dreamy art style contrasts with this mundane modern transportation reference, creating satirical commentary on how mechanized modern life was transforming intimate human experiences like courtship into commodified, impersonal transactions.