Judge — August 13, 1887 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cover from August 13, 1887 presents a political cartoon titled "The Cleveland Puzzle: Which way is he going?" The image depicts a rotund figure (likely President Grover Cleveland) in a carriage with hypnotic concentric circle wheels, creating optical illusion effects. The satire appears to mock Cleveland's unclear or inconsistent political direction—the spinning wheels suggest confusion about which way he's actually headed. Given the 1887 date during his first presidency, this likely references contemporary debates over his policies, possibly regarding tariffs, civil service reform, or other divisive issues where his administration seemed ambiguous or contradictory to critics. The optical illusion device reinforces the joke: viewers cannot easily determine the carriage's direction, just as observers couldn't determine Cleveland's political course.