Judge — February 18, 1905 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Off His Feed" This political cartoon from Judge (February 18, 1905) depicts a bulldog wearing a collar and leash labeled "BEEF TRUST," sitting beside an overturned food bowl. The dog appears distressed or refusing to eat. The satire targets the American beef trust—massive meatpacking monopolies that controlled cattle and meat production. The bulldog, a common symbol of strength and aggression, represents these powerful corporations. By showing it "off his feed" (refusing to eat/unable to feed), the cartoonist suggests the trust faces problems or obstacles—likely referring to recent antitrust regulatory actions or public backlash against monopolistic practices that were intensifying during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency. The humor lies in depicting this "fierce" industrial power as weakened or compromised.