Judge — August 28, 1897 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes a Klondike Gold Rush benefit event, appearing to mock the hypocrisy of wealthy figures claiming to aid public welfare while enriching themselves. The caption identifies **Moses P. Handy** as "Commissioner to the World's Fair" organizing a benefit "for the benefit of the public—and incidentally for themselves." The cartoon depicts various caricatured men in top hats and formal dress gathered around what appears to be a scheme or con, with a tent labeled "Klondike Fenced In" visible in the background. The satire targets wealthy elites using charitable pretenses as cover for personal profit-making. The exaggerated facial features and body language suggest these figures are duplicitous operators. The phrase "incidentally for themselves" in the title makes the cartoon's point explicit: public benefit events often primarily benefited their organizers. Without knowing the specific historical context of this Klondike-related event, the broader critique concerns wealthy men's self-enrichment masked as philanthropy.