Judge — October 17, 1891 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This **Judge** magazine cartoon depicts "Don Quixote" attacking the "American Protected Mills"—a reference to U.S. tariff protection for domestic mills (grain milling industry). The cartoon uses the famous literary character Don Quixote, known for tilting at windmills in delusional quests, as a metaphor for someone foolishly attacking American trade protections. The windmill visible in the background reinforces this literary allusion. The labeled crop quantities (corn, wheat, etc.) indicate this satirizes criticism of agricultural tariffs. The cartoonist suggests that attacking American mill protections is as futile and misguided as Quixote's fictional quest. This likely critiques opponents of U.S. protectionist trade policies during the Gilded Age, when tariffs were politically contentious.