Judge, 1892-09-17 · page 9 of 16
Judge — September 17, 1892 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes the McKinley Tariff Bill's economic claims. The illustration depicts figures in military/governmental dress (appearing to represent McKinley administration officials) presenting statistics to what looks like industrial workers or citizens below—rendered with exaggerated, somewhat grotesque features typical of period satirical art. The "bombshell" refers to Mr. Peck's wage statistics showing a $6.3 million net increase in wages for 1891 over 1890, supposedly proving the tariff's success. The cartoon's dramatic military imagery and chaotic composition suggest satirical skepticism: the cartoonist implies these rosy economic figures are being "dropped" on the public as propaganda rather than representing genuine worker benefit. The satire targets the gap between official tariff rhetoric and lived economic reality for ordinary Americans.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
i | o7 i! 2 i] < i nm i i i us | “| i| cf i + i) o i ‘ i 4 i] 0 | uy 2) ! H i | } ' > BOMBSHELL. | of affairs under the McKinley bill. Mr. Peck’s totals show a net increase in wages for 1891 over 1890, of $6,377,925, and a net increase in products in New York comicbooks.com