Judge — December 7, 1889 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This *Judge* cover from December 7, 1889 depicts Henry Morton Stanley, the famous explorer, with a woman identified as "Columbia" (the personification of America). The caption quotes Columbia saying "One of My boys!"—suggesting Stanley as an American hero. The satire likely celebrates Stanley's recent African explorations and his role in establishing Belgian colonial control in the Congo. By 1889, Stanley had become a celebrated figure in American popular culture, portrayed here as a conquering adventurer whom America could claim pride in. The "lion-hearted" epithet references both his courage and his imperial ambitions. The image romanticizes colonial expansion—a perspective typical of late-19th-century American satire, before widespread critique of imperialism.