Judge — February 11, 1882 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts **labor exploitation in the garment industry**, specifically targeting shirt manufacturers. The narrative shows: **First panel (top)**: A sweatshop factory where women work in cramped conditions on shirts. **Second panel (bottom left)**: "Alms House" - a poorhouse where desperate workers seek shelter. **Third panel (bottom right)**: "Omilligan Flats" - tenement housing where workers live in poverty. A bearded man holds a "Wanted: Shirt Makers" sign demanding workers at "45 cents, 12-hour days, 8 till 6" — exploitative wages. The satirical point is stark: manufacturers profit while paying poverty wages that force workers into poorhouses and slums. The title "Which Way / The Dread Alternative" suggests workers face impossible choices: accept exploitation or destitution. This appears to critique Gilded Age labor conditions and unsafe, underpaid garment work.