Judge — January 1, 1921 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Judge Magazine Cover Analysis: January 1, 1921 This New Year's cover satirizes global interconnectedness through mechanical imagery. The large gear contains a world map, suggesting the world operates as machinery. Below are three smaller gears: one depicting a woman's face (likely representing a movie star or public figure of the era), one showing a cherub or cupid symbol with a dollar sign, and another with a child's face. The caption "Love Makes the World Go Round" sarcastically comments on 1920s consumer culture and entertainment industry influence. The gears suggest these forces—celebrity, commerce, and sentimentality—mechanically drive society rather than genuine human connection. The cherub-and-dollar-sign gear particularly mocks commercialized romance and commodified emotion in post-WWI American culture.