Judge — June 19, 1926 — page 22: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three separate advertisements satirizing consumer culture and domestic aspirations of the early 20th century. **Top left**: "Prodigal Son Garters" uses biblical reference (the parable of the prodigal son and the fatted calf) to humorously market men's garters as a fashion statement for the well-dressed man. **Top right**: Campbell's Condensed Dinners advertisement plays on the busy housewife trope, suggesting canned meals as convenient shortcuts—with comic undertones about saving dishes "by eating out of the can." **Bottom**: The "Whatnots" advertisement is the main satire. A whatnot was a Victorian ornamental shelf for displaying decorative items. The ad mockingly suggests that selling whatnots (useless decorative furniture) can make women wealthy enough to afford European travel and divorce—simultaneously satirizing both consumer materialism and women's limited economic opportunities. The fictional testimonial about "Mrs. Oswald Slobb" and the fake company location "Whortleville, Wash." emphasize the absurdity of the get-rich-quick scheme.