Judge — September 16, 1882 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This multi-panel satirical comic mocks German immigrants' economic success and assimilation in America. The title "Our Thrifty Germans" uses irony—"thrifty" being a positive trait—to critique their rapid advancement. The panels show: - **Top**: Germans as children at home, appearing poor or struggling - **Middle**: "Getting away from Bismarck"—departure from Germany toward America (the ship labeled "America") - **Bottom**: "Success in his new home"—the same figures now prosperous, relaxing at a brewery (Smidt's Brewery visible), dressed well and apparently wealthy The cartoon satirizes the stereotype of German immigrants as industrious but also suggests resentment of their quick economic rise. The brewery reference invokes period stereotypes about German-Americans and alcohol consumption. This reflects late 19th-century American attitudes toward immigrant success and cultural identity.