Judge — March 22, 1924 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Influence of Sky-Writing" This March 22, 1924 *Judge* cartoon satirizes the newly emerging phenomenon of sky-writing—advertising messages written in the sky by aircraft. The illustration shows a man reaching upward to write in the sky while a woman gazes up in wonder, both seemingly mesmerized. The satire appears to critique how this novel advertising medium captures public attention and imagination. The title suggests sky-writing's powerful psychological "influence" over viewers. The couple's upward gazes and the man's stretching gesture convey almost hypnotic fascination with this new technology. This reflects 1924 anxieties about modern advertising's growing invasiveness—even reaching into the skies above—and its power to captivate and manipulate the public consciousness during an era of rapid technological change.