Judge — January 7, 1893 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "He Kicks Down the Ladder by Which He Rose" This January 1893 *Judge* cartoon satirizes a U.S. President (likely depicted in the Capitol dome scene) who is destroying the very institutional or political means by which he achieved power. The chaotic pyramid of caricatured figures being knocked down suggests political allies or supporters being betrayed or discarded. The "ladder" metaphor indicates the cartoon criticizes the President for dismantling the system, relationships, or policies that enabled his rise to office—a betrayal of those who helped him succeed. The violent tumbling figures convey the cartoon's view of this action as destructive chaos rather than justified reform. Without clearer identification, the specific President and legislative conflict referenced remain uncertain, though the composition suggests a major political upheaval of 1893.