Judge — September 6, 1919 — page 25: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes the novelty and social fascination with long-distance telephone communication. The title "Hellocutionists" humorously names people engaged with this new technology. The photographs show various celebrities and public figures using early telephone receivers in exaggerated or theatrical poses—holding handsets to their ears, appearing emotionally affected by distant conversations. The captions identify them as famous performers (Helen Clark, Vera Curtis, Albert Spalding, Arthur Middleton, Giacomo Rimini, Carlo Hackett, Riccardo Stracciari, and Herbert Witherspoon), treating mundane phone calls as dramatic performances worthy of documentation. The satire mocks both the technology's novelty appeal and the vanity of celebrities eager to be photographed using it. The humorous framing suggests that long-distance telephony was still exotic enough to warrant special notice and public interest during this era.