Judge — October 5, 1895 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "When the Barrel Gets Low the Knife Drops" This 1895 *Judge* cartoon satirizes Wall Street financial manipulation during economic hardship. The image depicts a demonic figure (representing financial speculation or Wall Street greed) operating a guillotine-like mechanism above a woman labeled "European Balance of Trade," who lies dying below. The barrel labeled "CODFISH" appears to reference trade goods; coins spill as the mechanism operates. The caption's subtitle notes "lots profit for keeping the barrel filled" but emphasizes "death to trade"—critiquing how speculators profit from economic crises while legitimate commerce suffers. The cartoon suggests that when financial reserves deplete ("barrel gets low"), ruthless traders ("knife drops") destroy international trade relationships for personal gain, harming everyone dependent on stable commerce.