Judge — April 21, 1888 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Pious Uncle Tom and the Wicked Topsy" This cartoon references Harriet Beecher Stowe's *Uncle Tom's Cabin* (1852), specifically the characters Uncle Tom and Topsy. The image depicts two figures with exaggerated caricature features characteristic of 19th-century racist imagery. The caption quotes Topsy saying she "spect he can't do nuffin' wif me—Ise growed dat way. Golly, Ise so wicked!!" This references Topsy's famous line from the novel about lacking Christian instruction. The satire appears to contrast Uncle Tom's moral piety with Topsy's mischievous behavior. The exact 1888 political context is unclear, though the cartoon likely uses these literary characters to comment on contemporary social or moral issues. The artwork's style and stereotype imagery reflect period conventions Judge magazine employed for humor.