Judge — April 25, 1896 — page 18: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge cartoon satirizes what appears to be a contemporaneous practice of deliberately maiming or mutilating animals or people for profit or exhibition. The title references "that unpopular crank," though the specific figure isn't clearly identifiable from this image alone. The OCR'd text suggests the cartoon compares this practice to historical barbarism—invoking Puritan-era punishments and practices in Nepal—to emphasize how primitive and inhumane the behavior is. The central figure appears to be someone who deliberately injures others "with utter disregard for art and nature," presumably for display or spectacle purposes. The satire condemns both the perpetrator and society's tolerance of such cruelty. Without clearer context about the specific 1896 incident or individual targeted, the exact target remains somewhat unclear, but the cartoon's message is unambiguous: Judge deemed this form of exploitation barbarous and worthy of public ridicule.