Judge — April 19, 1884 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Ajax Defying the Lightning" This is a satirical cartoon from *Judge* magazine (April 19, 1894) comparing a contemporary figure to Ajax, the legendary Greek hero who defied the gods. The large, muscular central figure holding a club appears to represent a politician or public figure standing defiantly against authority, indicated by the lightning bolts above. The subtitle references both the classical Philias sculpture and Roosevelt, suggesting this satirizes Theodore Roosevelt's combative political stance. The "Police Fund" box and surrounding crowd indicate conflict between this figure and law enforcement or city government. The satire criticizes what the artist views as reckless, hubris-filled defiance of legitimate power structures—comparing modern political aggression to mythological pride punished by the gods.