Judge — November 19, 1887 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page compares Anglo-American social attitudes through three cartoons on the left and one elaborate scene on the right. The left cartoons depict contrasting receptions: Americans fawning over an English aristocrat ("The attitude of our Minister to England"), versus an English lord dismissing Americans coldly ("the English Lord's reception of Americans in England"). The large right illustration shows an ornate English drawing room where American women eagerly attend what appears to be a social event hosted by English nobility. The detailed period dress and luxurious furnishings emphasize the setting's prestige. The satire targets American social snobbery and inferiority complex toward British aristocracy—depicting Americans as obsequious toward English lords while English lords regard Americans with disdain. Judge mocks this imbalanced dynamic where Americans desperately seek English social approval despite their nation's independence. The page critiques what was evidently perceived as excessive American deference to British nobility and social conventions.