Judge — December 15, 1888 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon, titled "The Republican Party's First [Ball]," depicts a seated woman (labeled "Miss Dakota") being presented to a group of elegant women at what appears to be a formal reception or debutante ball. The caption references B. Harrison (likely President Benjamin Harrison) welcoming "Miss Dakota" into society. The satire likely comments on Dakota's recent admission to the Union (North and South Dakota joined in 1889). The cartoon treats statehood as a social debut, with the new state personified as an awkwardly-dressed newcomer being introduced to the established "society" of existing states. This mockingly suggests Dakota was inexperienced or rough compared to the refined Eastern establishment, reflecting late-19th-century regional tensions and attitudes toward Western expansion.