Judge, 1886-04-03 · page 1 of 16
Judge — April 3, 1886 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This political cartoon satirizes the Democratic Party as a foolish woman ("Bad Democratic Boy") who has been tricked by an April Fool's joke. The figure labeled "Corrupt State Machine" (the barrel at left) appears to be deceiving the Democratic Party personified as a gullible woman on the right, who looks shocked and dismayed—realizing "she thought she had it" but has been fooled. The satire suggests Democrats were duped by machine politics or political corruption, particularly regarding state-level operations. The "April Fool" reference mocks Democratic leadership for being naive about political manipulation. This reflects late-19th-century criticism of urban political machines and their control over party operations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOL. 9. NO. 233 APRIL 3 1886. PRICE 10 CENTS. ‘moanr HAMILTON JUDGE PUB CO OF NEW YORK THE DECEIVED OLD PARTY. Bap Democratic Boy—‘‘She thought she had it—APRIL FOOL!” comicbooks.com