Judge — June 30, 1900 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1900 Judge magazine cartoon satirizes hypocrisy regarding monopolies ("trusts"). The central image shows an "American Ice Trust" wagon—likely referencing the actual ice monopoly that controlled New York's ice supply—loaded with caricatured political figures and corporate interests. The satire's point, indicated by the caption and visible signs reading "Down with the Trusts," is that Democratic politicians publicly denounce trusts while simultaneously supporting or benefiting from them. The figures climbing onto and riding the trust wagon represent politicians who campaign against monopolies but participate in them anyway. The decomposed body beneath the wagon suggests victims harmed by these monopolistic practices. This reflects genuine Progressive Era anger at trusts, which controlled prices and exploited consumers. Victor Gillam is the credited cartoonist.