Judge — February 24, 1894 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This eight-panel comic strip by Arthur Meyer satirizes competitive street vendors selling sausages. The narrative follows two rival merchants as their competition escalates from simple salesmanship (panels 1-2) through increasingly elaborate and absurd sales tactics (panels 3-7), culminating in what appears to be a violent confrontation (panel 8). The satire mocks aggressive commercial competition and merchant desperation—particularly relevant to early 20th-century urban street commerce where vendors competed fiercely for customers. The exaggerated methods (spinning displays, acrobatic stunts, dramatic gestures) parody how far merchants would go for sales. The final panel's outcome remains ambiguous but suggests the competition ends badly, commenting on cutthroat business practices and their destructive nature.