Judge, 1926-06-19 · page 19 of 36
Judge — June 19, 1926 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical advertisement for "Liberty Oil," depicted through an image of the Statue of Liberty holding a torch-like oil can instead of her traditional torch. The text uses grandiose language to mock patent medicine advertising popular in early 20th-century America. It employs patriotic rhetoric—claiming the product has been "championed," "extolled," and is "indispensable"—while making absurd claims that the oil can calm "troubled waters" with a protective "film." The satire targets both the commercialization of American patriotic symbols and the deceptive advertising practices of the era, which promised miracle cures using vague, poetic descriptions ("thin as tissue, smooth as silk, tough as steel"). By substituting a commercial product for Lady Liberty's torch, the cartoon critiques how corporations exploit national symbols and patriotic sentiment to market dubious products to the public.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
pioned it, ministers extolled it, candi- dates sworn by it and children cried for it. The years have merely added to its prestige, confirmed its indispensability. Now, as formerly, the OIL OF LIBERTY is the standard, the sovereign remedy. Q Troubled waters call for that “film of protection” —thin as tissue, smooth as silk, tough as steel, wrapping each angry wavelet in a shroud, choking off its wind, destroying its crest. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE. Our Booklet — {j ALL NEWSSTANDS COPY LIBERTY OIL “FORMERLY— WHY NOT NOW?” comicbooks.com