Judge — June 13, 1896 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes immigration and political patronage in late 19th-century America. A diverse group of recently arrived immigrants—identifiable by their ethnic caricatures and labels like "Indian" and "Chinese"—huddle under an American flag umbrella during a rainstorm. A small figure labeled "Morton's Boom" (likely referring to politician Levi P. Morton) stands apart, excluded from shelter. The cartoon's incomplete caption—"SOME PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ENOUG[H]"—suggests the satire targets either the immigrants' ignorance of American ways or politicians' insufficient understanding of immigration policy. The contrast between protected insiders and the outsider figure critiques either xenophobic exclusion or political mismanagement of immigration during this period of significant American immigration.