Judge — April 20, 1889 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon depicts Henry Morton Stanley's famous 1871 expedition to find Emin Pasha, a European official in Africa. The illustration shows Stanley encountering Emin Pasha (center, in distinctive white clothing and hat) surrounded by what appears to be African warriors or soldiers holding spears, set in tall grass. The satire's political angle emerges in the caption: "Stanley has found Emin Pasha. Now let the Democratic Party o[f]..." The incomplete text suggests the cartoonist is making a joke equating the Democratic Party's search for leadership or direction with Stanley's expedition—implying Democrats are similarly "lost" and need finding. This is satirical commentary on Democratic Party disorganization or lack of clear leadership during this period.