Judge — April 13, 1901 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts **Uncle Sam** (representing the United States) presenting a grotesque figure labeled "Carnegie" (steel magnate Andrew Carnegie) as a desirable new "breed" of chickens. The caption reads: "This is the breed of chickens I want on my farm. They lay Easter eggs and then hatch them." The satire criticizes Carnegie's wealth accumulation and philanthropic practices. The "eggs" at the figure's feet are labeled with charitable institutions (visible text includes references to churches and benefits), suggesting Carnegie's donations are performative—he gives money away, then it somehow returns to him as profit or influence. The artwork mocks both Carnegie's outsized power and the contradiction between his vast wealth and his selective charity.