Judge — September 7, 1929 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Ancient Sources of Modern Inventions: The Street Sweeper" This satirical illustration presents a humorous genealogy of the street sweeper. The page shows mythological and historical figures in elaborate chariots and processions above, with demonic or fantastical beings depicted below in clouds of smoke, suggesting infernal origins. The joke appears to be that modern street-sweeping technology has absurdly grandiose "ancient sources"—mocking the period's tendency to trace modern inventions to classical or mythological precedents. By depicting street sweepers with such elaborate, chaotic imagery involving demons and mythological figures, Judge ridicules both the pretension of such historical claims and perhaps the lowly nature of street-sweeping work itself. The artist credits "Forbell + H.W.H." at bottom.