Judge — January 2, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "LEFT! At McKinley's Door" (Judge, January 2, 1897) This political cartoon by Grover Cleveland satirizes the transition between presidential administrations. The image shows a basket of unwanted figures and issues being left at President McKinley's doorstep by the outgoing Cleveland administration. The cartoon depicts various caricatured problems—likely representing economic depression, unpopular policies, and political figures from Cleveland's presidency—being deposited as burdensome "gifts" for the incoming McKinley to handle. The footprints leading away suggest Cleveland's hasty departure from office. This reflects contemporary frustration with Cleveland's second term (1893-1897), which was marked by economic panic and unpopular decisions. The satire mocks the symbolic "mess" being inherited by the new administration, a common theme in transitional political humor.