Judge — August 18, 1900 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Judge Magazine, August 13, 1900 This political cartoon satirizes **Mr. Croker** (likely Richard Croker, Democratic boss of Tammany Hall) as a charlatan "purchasing another bull-pup"—political slang for a gullible voter or naive follower. The caricatured figure on the left, dressed as a confidence man or hustler, examines a small monkey or ape-like creature labeled "Croker's Latest," while onlookers (possibly representing newspaper editors or political figures) watch from a decorated booth. The stethoscope suggests medical charlatan theatrics. The cartoon mocks Croker's ability to manipulate the electorate through false promises or deceptive schemes. The "pup" doing "very well" implies voters are thriving under his control—or ironically, that they've been successfully duped. The carnival-like setting emphasizes the artificiality of machine politics.