Judge — February 20, 1892 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Giving Up the Ghost" This is a political cartoon from February 20, 1892, celebrating a Republican party victory. The caption states it "killed the two monsters, Slavery and Mormonism." The central figure appears to be a Republican politician or personification of the party, confronting supernatural creatures—likely representing Slavery and Mormonism as demonic forces. The imagery uses gothic, ghostly symbolism to depict these as evil entities being defeated. The cartoon reflects late 19th-century Republican ideology that positioned the party as the moral force that ended slavery (via the Civil War and Reconstruction) and opposed Mormon polygamy, which was a major political issue through the 1890s. The style is typical of Judge's satirical approach: combining political messaging with dramatic, allegorical imagery to make partisan points visually compelling.