Judge — March 16, 1907 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes a proposed redesign of U.S. gold coinage. The circular coin design shows a grotesque, grinning face with exaggerated features—appearing almost demonic or bestial—labeled "The Believer" with text reading "In Gold Twenty Dollars." The caption indicates this depicts "the reverse side of the U.S. gold coin after the contemplated change," suggesting the cartoon mocks a specific proposed modification to American currency design that was under consideration. The ugly, unflattering caricature serves as political satire, implying the proposed design change was absurd or aesthetically offensive. Without knowing the exact historical moment, the specific proposal being referenced remains unclear, but the cartoon's purpose is obvious: ridicule through grotesque visual exaggeration.