Judge — October 26, 1895 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Over the Hill to the Poor-House" This October 1893 *Judge* cartoon satirizes debates over poverty relief and institutional care. A skeletal Death figure (left) oversees an elderly man being transported "over the hill" — a period phrase meaning toward the poor-house (workhouse). The man rides atop a large sphere labeled "Another Bond Issue Contemplated," suggesting the cartoon critiques government spending on poor relief. The sign reading "Rothschild's" (visible right) may reference banking or financial institutions. The overall satire appears to mock either excessive government expenditure on poorhouses or the futility of relief systems — implying that institutional care merely delays the inevitable fate of the destitute. The skeleton emphasizes death as the ultimate destination for the poor.