Judge — July 28, 1928 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is the cover of Judge magazine's "Bathing Beauty Number" from July 28, 1928, priced at 15 cents. The illustration, drawn by R.B. Fuller, depicts a toddler in a one-piece bathing suit standing on a diving board with arms outstretched, appearing delighted or surprised. The tagline reads "Something New in a Bathing Girl!" The satire plays on the magazine's focus on "bathing beauties"—a popular 1920s entertainment and magazine feature celebrating women in swimwear. By substituting an infant for the typical adult female subject, the cover creates absurdist humor, subverting reader expectations. This appears to be a lighthearted joke rather than commentary on any specific social or political issue, simply capitalizing on the era's fascination with bathing suit imagery through unexpected substitution.