Judge — August 29, 1891 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This August 1891 *Judge* cartoon satirizes government auctioning. An auctioneer stands at a podium labeled "AUCTION" and "DAVE HILL" (likely a contemporary political figure), holding aloft what appears to be a "MONOPOLY" item. Below, a bidder clutches an enormous egg labeled "THE BIGGEST BOODLE"—slang for bribes or ill-gotten political money. The satire targets corruption: government assets and influence are being sold to the highest bidder, with "boodle" (corrupt money) driving the sale. The crowd of eager bidders suggests this was seen as systemic—everyone involved in politics was complicit in buying and selling government favors. The cartoon critiques the Gilded Age's notorious political corruption and monopolistic practices.