Judge — June 28, 1884 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "The Judge" Page (June 28, 1884) This political cartoon depicts "Uncle Sam" (personified America, left) confronting a figure labeled "Curtis" with a barrel organ and a monkey. The caption has Uncle Sam rejecting "whining music" and the "nasty monkey." The cartoon likely references **George William Curtis**, a prominent editor and political reformer of the era, or political controversy surrounding him. The barrel organ and monkey are traditional symbols of street performers—suggesting Curtis is portrayed as producing tiresome, repetitive political rhetoric ("whining music") with questionable support ("nasty monkey"). The background shows the Capitol building and a "Post No Bills" sign, indicating this concerns Washington politics and possibly concerns about unsightly political campaigning or Curtis's reform message being unwanted.