Judge, 1889-11-09 · page 1 of 18
Judge — November 9, 1889 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon mocks **Tammany Hall**, the Democratic political machine that dominated New York City politics. The caricatured figure on the left appears to be **Father Knickerbocker** (personification of New York), depicted as an exasperated authority figure confronting a chaotic mob of grotesque characters representing Tammany operatives or corrupt politicians. The text references "catching and jagging and fining them" while they operate "from below"—suggesting endemic corruption the establishment repeatedly fails to eliminate. The "comic opera" title mockingly suggests Tammany's theatrical antics are predictable, recurring annual performances rather than serious governance. This reflects 1889 Progressive Era criticism of urban political corruption and machine politics that exploited the city while evading accountability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOL.17 NO.421 NOVEMBER 9.1889. PRICE 10 CENTS. dere’ . THE ANNUAL -REVIVAL OF TAMMANY'S COMIC OPERA. Fatitxe KNICKERBOCKER —"I have downed them with indignation CHorus oF BRAVES—" We've a grip on our little city, And I've chased them high and low ; And the old man’s much too slow T hove caught and jugged and fined them To tackle the grand old wigwam, ‘As their unrelenting foe ; So all he can do is * blow.” But—they still bob up serenely—serenely from below.” And—we still bob up serenely—serenely from below.” comicbooks.com