Judge, 1922-01-07 · page 4 of 36
Judge — January 7, 1922 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This Judge magazine page satirizes early automotive advertising versus reality through contrasting illustrations. The top panel, "How It Looked in the Ads," depicts an impossibly sleek racing vehicle that dominates the scene. The bottom panel, "How It Really Looked," shows the actual cramped, underpowered automobile with two men barely fitting inside. Below are six brief satirical captions mocking other social pretensions: "Americanized" jokes about immigrants, "Enthusiasm's Exit" mocks theatrical ambition, "Handicapped" pokes fun at clergy soliciting donations, "Enthusiasm's Exit" references stage-robbers, "A Direct Reflection" plays on marital discord, and another quip about church organ donations. The core joke: automobile advertisements grossly misrepresented their products' performance and appeal.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AMERICANIZED “That Jewish gentleman who just got into the sedan is worth a million dol- lars. Twenty-five years ago he came to the United States, a poor Russian boy who couldn’t speak a word of English.” “What's his name?” “John Wesley Washington.” ENTHUSIASM’S EXIT “Your favorite star is to marry Lord Blank and give up acting.” “The old stage-robber!” A DIRECT REFLECTION “I never lie to my wife.” “Then why to me?” HANDICAPPED “I should think your minister would preach a sermon on Sunday golf.” “I think he would if Mr. Platesley, who is expected to donate the organ for our new church, wasn’t the chief offender.”