Judge — October 24, 1891 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Supreme Contempt" — Judge Magazine, October 24, 1891 This political cartoon satirizes Irish nationalist leader **Charles Stewart Parnell** (the skeletal figure wearing a "Reform" hat) and the **Tammany Hall** political machine. The skeleton figure appears to represent the decay or death of reform efforts, while Lady Justice holds scales above, suggesting judicial judgment. The sign reading "Tammany Hall Defies the People" indicates criticism of New York's corrupt Democratic organization. The cartoon likely references Parnell's fall from power in 1891 following personal scandal, and connects this to broader American political corruption. The imagery suggests that both figures—the discredited Irish politician and the corrupt American political machine—merit public contempt for defying democratic principles.