Judge — December 4, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Keeping Them Apart" - Judge Magazine, December 4, 1897 This political cartoon depicts a portly "Machine Boss" figure—likely representing corrupt political machine leadership of the era—holding apart two smaller, monkey-like caricatures labeled as representatives of rival factions. The banners reference "Only Machine Recognizes" and various political affiliations. The satire appears to comment on how political machine bosses maintained power by keeping competing groups divided and dependent. The caption, "Should you two come together, what would become of me?" reveals the joke: the boss profits from factional conflict and fears unity among his rivals would threaten his control. This reflects 1890s concerns about urban political corruption and machine politics that dominated American cities during the Gilded Age.