Judge — March 8, 1890 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This illustration satirizes the "Worship of the Bull Apis"—an ancient Egyptian religious practice—as an allegory for contemporary commerce and trade policy. The figure on the left, dressed in classical Egyptian regalia with an elaborate headdress, appears to represent a political or business leader. The other figures, including one prominently displaying a "FREE TRADE" shield, likely represent competing economic interests or nations. The satire suggests that advocates of free trade worship commerce with the same reverence ancients showed religious idols. By comparing trade policy debate to pagan bull worship, Judge mocks what it views as the quasi-religious fervor surrounding free trade advocacy—treating economic ideology as blind faith rather than rational policy. The exact historical context and specific targets remain unclear without additional publication information.