Judge — August 22, 1885 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts an economic hardship scenario. The upper panel shows a figure (appears to be Uncle Sam or an American farmer) in distress, complaining about failing to see "the promised crop of prosperity." The lower panel presents a dark joke: faced with starvation during economic depression, the figure suggests killing "the eagle"—a reference to the American national symbol, representing the nation itself or its government policies. The satire criticizes broken promises of economic prosperity and suggests that conditions have become so dire that drastic, even self-destructive measures seem necessary. The comic implies government failure to deliver on optimistic economic forecasts, likely referencing a specific recession or depression era when Judge magazine was published, though the exact historical moment is unclear from this image alone.