Judge — August 28, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "Hitting the Nail on the Head" This August 1897 *Judge* cartoon satirizes gold standard advocates' response to economic concerns. The large anthropomorphic figure labeled "VAST QUANTITIES OF GOLD IS BEING SECURED FOR THE WORLD" celebrates wildly, holding a "Gold Standard" torch while striking a nail labeled "POLITICAL OBSCURITY" into a tree stump. The figures in the background appear to represent "Wheat" and other economic interests watching skeptically. The cartoon mocks how gold standard proponents believed acquiring more gold would solve economic problems—symbolized as "hitting the nail on the head"—while actually addressing only their narrow political interests. This reflects 1890s currency debates between gold standard supporters and those favoring free silver coinage.