Judge — December 31, 1887 — page 18: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon presents two contrasting "English Lord" stereotypes common in Gilded Age American humor. The top image shows a refined, well-mannered "bogus" (fake) English lord—likely a con artist or social climber—displaying impeccable etiquette. Below, a "genuine" English aristocrat behaves boorishly and crudely. The satire mocks American fascination with English nobility while highlighting class pretense. The "polite bogus lord" represents the fraud who charms American society through affected manners, while the authentic but uncouth nobleman exposes aristocracy as morally bankrupt. Judge's point appears to be that American society's reverence for English titles blinds them to the actual character of nobility—real or fake—suggesting American gullibility and the worthlessness of inherited status.