Judge — September 1, 1900 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be a satirical display window or storefront scene from Judge magazine (copyright 1899, Judge Company of New York). The caricatured figures—with exaggerated grotesque features typical of period satire—are shopkeepers or merchants advertising a going-out-of-business sale in November 1900. The signs mock various retail schemes: "Second-Hand Suit Marked Down 16 to 1," "Tammany Old Clothes Emporium" (referencing NYC's corrupt Tammany Hall political machine), "Orders for Ice Inside," and "Selling Off Cheap! Going Out of Business." The satire targets dishonest merchants and possibly Tammany Hall corruption, suggesting these businesses succeed through deception rather than legitimate commerce. The grotesque caricatures emphasize the cartoon's contempt for such operators. The specific historical context—the 1900 election period—likely adds political dimensions now unclear without further research.