Judge — April 14, 1883 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes President Chester Arthur's actual cabinet appointments, presenting them as "The Model Cabinet" with mock-serious labels. The image appears to show Arthur presiding over various political figures labeled with cabinet positions. The satire likely mocked the quality or appropriateness of Arthur's real cabinet choices—a common target for Judge's political humor. By presenting them as an ideal "model," the cartoonists employed irony to criticize the selections. The visible names (Sherman, Jones, Edmunds, etc.) were actual or proposed appointees whose qualifications or political alignments apparently drew the magazine's skepticism. This reflects the Gilded Age political climate where cabinet appointments were frequently criticized as patronage-driven rather than merit-based.