Judge — March 22, 1884 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes adultered butter products being sold to consumers. The main scene depicts street vendors and a grocery store selling "Fresh Country Creamery Butter" while the overhead panels show various deceptive practices—likely depicting different inferior or fake butter substitutes being passed off as quality product. The title appears to mock artificial butter alternatives (the exact term "riburine" is unclear, but "bosh" means nonsense). The cartoon criticizes food fraud and misleading advertising practices common in the era. The vendor characters and small figures examining the dubious products suggest public concern about food safety and honest labeling—issues that drove early American consumer protection movements and food regulation laws.