Judge — December 30, 1882 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Wall Street Games" – Judge, December 30, 1882 This political cartoon satirizes financial manipulation on Wall Street during the Gilded Age. The caption identifies the figures as "Jay, Cyrus, William H., Jim K.—Puss! Puss!" playing "Christmas sports." The cartoon depicts wealthy financiers depicted with exaggerated features, apparently engaged in a game involving a lamb (labeled "The Lost Lamb")—likely representing the common investor or public being victimized. The men are shown in a New York street corner setting, treating serious financial dealings as if they were casual street games. The satire criticizes how Wall Street elites treated markets like entertainment, manipulating securities and exploiting ordinary citizens for sport. The "lost lamb" metaphor emphasizes how innocent investors were separated from their money by these powerful speculators.