Judge — December 20, 1884 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon titled "Bringing the Wolf," likely from the late 19th century American protectionism debate. The illustration shows a man at a house marked "FOR SALE" and "AUCTION SALE," representing economic distress. A cart labeled "FREE TRADE" is being pulled by a wolf, symbolizing free trade as a dangerous threat to American prosperity and domestic stability. The "Democratic Victory" banner at the bottom suggests this criticizes Democratic free-trade policies. The imagery equates free trade doctrine with an approaching predator threatening the American home and family. This reflects the protectionist arguments common in *Judge* magazine, which generally opposed free trade and advocated tariffs to protect American workers and businesses from foreign competition.