Judge — October 6, 1894 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon adapts Shakespeare's *Julius Caesar* to satirize American politics, likely from the 1880s-90s. The text references a newspaper prediction that the "autumn campaign will be one grand funeral." The cartoon depicts a funeral oration scene with classical Roman architecture. It appears to represent "Grover" (likely President Grover Cleveland) as the fallen Caesar, "stabbed" by political enemies. The altered Shakespeare quotes—referencing daggers, betrayal, and "bloody treason"—mock the dramatic political turmoil of the era. The crowded, gesturing figures suggest public outcry and political upheaval. The satire mocks either Cleveland's political downfall or the vicious nature of contemporary campaign politics by comparing it to Caesar's assassination—suggesting American political conflict had reached tragic, Shakespearean proportions.