Judge — May 26, 1888 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be a political cartoon satirizing free trade policy, illustrated by Victor (visible signature). The image depicts a camel forcing its way into a shelter—a visual adaptation of Aesop's fable about the camel and the tent. The cartoon uses this parable to argue against allowing foreign trade access to American markets. Just as the camel's "head in the door" leads to it taking over the entire shelter, the satire suggests that permitting initial free trade concessions will inevitably lead to complete economic takeover by foreign interests, displacing domestic workers and industries (represented by the figures being forced out). This reflects late 19th/early 20th-century protectionist arguments against free trade expansion.