Judge — February 25, 1893 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes American imperialism and the proposed annexation of Hawaii in the 1890s. The central title "WHEN WE ANNEX HAWAII" frames multiple scenarios depicting how American institutions would supposedly "improve" Hawaiian society. The cartoons show: bicycles becoming fashionable, Dave Hill crowned "king," American saloons and museums establishing themselves, and various commercial enterprises arriving. The satire mocks the imperialist justification that annexation would "civilize" Hawaii by introducing American commerce and culture. References include "Queen Lily" (likely Queen Liliʻuokalani, Hawaii's last reigning monarch, deposed in 1893), and caricatured "Yankee agents" and tourists. The humor targets both American expansionist attitudes and the assumption that American institutions automatically represent progress and superiority over indigenous Hawaiian culture.