Judge — February 28, 1920 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is the cover of Judge magazine (February 28, 1920, 15 cents). The main illustration, titled "His Silent Ideal," is drawn by Charles Sarka and accompanies a story by Ellis Parker Butler called "The Log of a Lost Soul" — described as "A Thrilling Story Found in a Whiskey Bottle Floating Off Shore." The image shows a woman's portrait superimposed over a desolate rocky coastal landscape with a bottle. The artwork appears to be romantic or melodramatic in nature, typical of pulp fiction covers of the era. Without additional context from Butler's actual story, the specific satirical point remains unclear, though the juxtaposition of an idealized woman with shipwreck imagery suggests themes of lost love or impossible romance — common subjects for Judge's humorous commentary on sentimental fiction.