Judge — May 4, 1918 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **advertisement, not satire**—specifically for Nujol, a mineral oil laxative product made by Standard Oil Company (New Jersey). The ad uses a young girl holding a doll to market constipation relief to parents. The messaging emphasizes that establishing regular bowel habits in childhood ensures lifelong health. The tagline "Regular as Clockwork" pairs the product name with promises of mechanical regularity. A notable detail: the text mentions "kit size to United States soldiers and sailors anywhere," indicating this ran during wartime (likely WWI or WWII era based on *Judge* magazine's publication period). By modern standards, the ad's focus on children's digestive health and its frank discussion of bowel regularity would seem unusually direct for mainstream advertising.