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

What you’re looking at

# "Open for Trade" - Judge Magazine, July 19, 1884 This political cartoon satirizes vote-buying and electoral corruption during the 1884 U.S. presidential election. The large figure on the left, labeled "Tammany," represents Tammany Hall, the notoriously corrupt Democratic political machine that controlled New York City politics. The cartoon depicts Tammany operatives literally selling votes—signs advertise "Tammany Voters for Sale or Exchange" and "Assortment of Back-Action Repeaters Very Low." This references "repeaters," individuals who voted multiple times illegally. The signs mockingly display prices like goods in a shop, titled "Open for Trade." The scene illustrates how Tammany Hall engaged in systematic electoral fraud and vote trafficking, treating voters as commodities to be bought and sold rather than citizens exercising democratic rights. It's a scathing critique of urban political corruption.