Judge — December 20, 1884 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon, signed by F. Beard, depicts a frightened dignitary discovering hidden corruption within the Democratic Party. The central figure—a formal official with an exaggerated, horrified expression—recoils from an open closet revealing a skeletal corpse surrounded by bottles labeled with various vices (preserved meats, belly, rum, and other items suggesting corruption and excess). Behind him, a crowd of caricatured Democratic politicians peers in, equally alarmed. A framed portrait hangs above, possibly representing party leadership. The "skeleton in the closet" metaphor suggests long-hidden scandals or moral failures within Democratic ranks that threaten to expose the party's hypocrisy. The cartoon's title makes the satirical point explicit: despite public respectability, the party harbors shameful secrets.