Judge — June 18, 1927 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Vanishing American" - Judge Magazine, June 19, 1927 This cartoon illustrates the contemporary concern about Native Americans' disappearance from American life. The illustration depicts Indigenous children wading in water while fading into mist or vapor, symbolizing their literal and cultural erasure. The title "Vanishing American" references the widespread early-20th-century belief that Native populations were inevitably disappearing due to assimilation, disease, and displacement. This reflected both genuine historical tragedy and a problematic fatalistic attitude that discouraged intervention. The artist (signed "B. Fuller") appears to use this satirical image to critique American society's passive acceptance of Indigenous decline, though the cartoon's exact satirical angle—whether criticizing indifference or commenting on assimilation policies—remains somewhat ambiguous from the image alone.