Judge — October 22, 1892 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes the **National Banking System** during the Gilded Age. The illustration depicts demons or devils wreaking havoc within a grand classical bank building, suggesting corruption and instability within America's banking infrastructure. The caption—"HE THINKS HE IS A SAMSON, / But the public know him as the same old blundering ass"—likely references a political figure attempting to appear strong or reformist while actually causing damage. The Samson reference suggests someone claiming to be powerful enough to destroy corrupt institutions, yet the public views him as incompetent. The cartoon critiques either a banker, politician, or reformer's ineffectual attempts to address banking system problems that were plaguing the 1890s economy.