Judge — June 21, 1890 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Stanley McKinley and the Midgets" This Judge magazine cartoon (June 21, 1890) satirizes **Stanley McKinley** (likely referencing explorer Henry Morton Stanley or a political figure of that name) through a crude joke combining colonialism with contemporary politics. The caption states: "Stanley relates how a tribe of dwarfs tried to arrest his march—but he got there just the same." The cartoon depicts a tall Western military figure confronting indigenous peoples of various sizes in a tropical setting. The satire appears to mock both the subject's colonial adventures and, possibly, political opposition to McKinley's policies or ambitions. The dehumanizing caricatures of the indigenous people reflect the deeply racist attitudes typical of 1890s American satirical publications. The "midgets" metaphor likely diminishes political opponents as insignificant obstacles.