Judge — March 15, 1884 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes Anthony Comstock, the anti-vice activist who led the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. The image depicts him as "St. Patrick" driving out snakes—but here the "snakes" are actually books, publications, and other materials he sought to censor or ban. The cartoon mocks Comstock's aggressive censorship campaigns by comparing his crusade to the legendary saint's expulsion of serpents from Ireland. The artist suggests Comstock viewed himself as a moral purifier, while critics saw him as an overzealous censor who banned legitimate literature and art. This reflects contemporary debate over Comstock's broad interpretation of obscenity laws, which many felt suppressed free speech and cultural expression beyond genuinely harmful material.