Judge — January 7, 1893 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts **Death** (the skeleton figure in flowing robes) closing down a fair or public gathering due to cholera—a deadly infectious disease that periodically swept through 19th-century cities. The skeleton points accusingly toward the harbor where immigrants' ships have recently arrived, implying that cholera was brought to New York by the "twenty-two hundred emigrants" mentioned in the text. The cartoon reflects **anti-immigrant sentiment** common in the era: blaming newly arrived foreigners for disease outbreaks and public health crises. The ornate gate and urban waterfront setting suggest this is targeting New York's immigrant communities, particularly those arriving by ship. The satire criticizes both the disease threat and the perceived danger posed by mass immigration.