Judge — July 28, 1883 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes newspaper editors preparing for a "duel" to defend their publications' honor. The panels show caricatured editors from major newspapers—identified by mastheads including the Brooklyn Eagle, Boston Herald, Philadelphia Ledger, N.Y. Times, and Evening Post—arming themselves with various weapons (axes, clubs, newspapers). The bottom caption reads "The Dueling: Our Editors prepare to vindicate t[heir]..." The satire mocks the fierce, combative rivalry between competing newspapers of the era, depicting their editorial wars as literal duels. Each editor is shown as aggressive and ready for battle, reflecting the intense competition and heated debates characteristic of early 20th-century American journalism. The "dueling" metaphor suggests editors were willing to fight viciously to defend their publications' reputations and circulation.