Judge — May 11, 1895 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1892 *Judge* cartoon satirizes the Democratic Party's recent electoral victory. Lady Liberty (left) watches as caricatured Democratic politicians play instruments before the Capitol, depicted as mesmerized figures. The caption invokes *Trilby*, a popular novel featuring Svengali, a hypnotist who controls others. The cartoon suggests Democrats used hypnotic manipulation to put "a Democratic President and Congress into power in 1892"—likely referencing Grover Cleveland's return to the presidency that year. The joke: now that the "Democratic Svengali is dead enough," the spell should break and voters will recover their senses. It's partisan mockery portraying Democratic victory as mass delusion rather than legitimate political choice.