Judge — February 10, 1900 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Not in It" — Judge Magazine, February 10, 1900 This political cartoon satirizes American isolationism regarding the Boer War in South Africa. "Little Columbia" (representing the United States, shown as a child) is excluded from a yard where adult figures—apparently representing European powers—are engaged in conflict over South Africa. The caption, "You can't play in our yard, and you can't slide down our cellar-door," uses playground language to mock America's exclusion from imperial competition in Africa. The "Miss Columbia's Protection Yard" sign suggests the U.S. attempts self-imposed neutrality and protection from Old World entanglements. The cartoon critiques either American isolation or European rejection of U.S. involvement in colonial affairs, depending on perspective. The artist is Cesare Biseo (signature visible).