Judge — September 3, 1910 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon titled "Judge" depicts a caricatured Black figure being elevated on a pedestal labeled "Johnson—Ruling the Whites." The figure holds what appears to be a gavel or mallet, suggesting judicial authority. The Capitol building is visible in the background, establishing a Washington, D.C. political setting. This appears to be racist satire commentary on a Johnson (likely President Andrew Johnson) administering authority over white Americans. The exaggerated caricature and scenario reflect the inflammatory racial politics of Reconstruction era America, when conservative publications used dehumanizing imagery to oppose policies granting political power to formerly enslaved people. The satire mocks what the magazine's audience apparently viewed as an unnatural inversion of racial hierarchy.