Judge — August 24, 1901 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is political satire mocking William Jennings Bryan, the three-time Democratic presidential candidate. The cartoon references Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle"—the man who slept for years and awoke as an outsider in his own world. The joke: Bryan is depicted as Rip Van Winkle, suggesting he's become irrelevant and forgotten, even by common people ("the dogs bark at me"). The storefront sign advertising "Sound-Money Democrats" indicates this cartoon supports the gold standard (conservative economics), opposing Bryan's famous advocacy for "free silver" currency. The exaggerated caricatured faces reflect Judge magazine's characteristic style. This likely dates from the early 1900s when Bryan's political influence was waning after repeated electoral defeats, making him a figure of ridicule to establishment publications favoring traditional monetary policy.