Judge — September 29, 1917 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis: Nujol Advertisement This page is primarily a **commercial advertisement** for Nujol, a laxative product made by Standard Oil Company (New Jersey), rather than political satire or editorial cartoon. The dramatic illustration shows a man struggling to control horses pulling a heavily-loaded cart up a steep mountain, with birds flying overhead. The "vigor" metaphor connects to the ad's message: just as autumn plowing requires energy for next spring's crops, the body needs vigor maintained through proper digestive health. The advertisement warns that constipation drains energy and threatens tomorrow's productivity. It promotes Nujol as a "harmless remedy" endorsed by physicians that works "naturally and gently" without griping. This reflects early 20th-century advertising's use of ambitious visual narratives to sell patent medicines and digestive aids.