Judge — August 22, 1885 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This F. Beard cartoon satirizes wealth inequality and financial disparities in America. The image contrasts two scenes: wealthy Europeans in an ornate interior displaying portraits and luxury goods (labeled "Europe"), while American working-class people gather outside in poverty below. The caption about a "millionaire" keeping "$100,000 a year to keep my family in Europe" suggests wealthy Americans were expatriating their fortunes while ordinary citizens struggled domestically. The "Europe" reference at left—paired with a question mark—emphasizes the irony: money supposedly "scarce in the United States" flowed freely to wealthy expatriates abroad. The cartoon critiques how American wealth concentrated among the elite while common citizens faced financial hardship—a recurring Progressive Era theme in Judge magazine.