Judge — January 22, 1887 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes President Grover Cleveland's wife, Mrs. Cleveland, who apparently kept numerous pets. The joke depicts Cleveland being driven from his own Cabinet meeting by his wife's latest pet addition—a dog labeled "Daily Paper" (likely a pun on newspaper reading or daily habits). The humor lies in the domestic reversal: instead of the president controlling his household, his wife's pet collection has grown so extensive that it interferes with government business. Cleveland appears subordinate, forced to ask permission to attend official duties. The cartoon mocks both Mrs. Cleveland's pet-collecting hobby and, by extension, suggests the president lacks authority even in his own home—a common satirical trope about powerful men being henpecked by their wives.