Judge — October 28, 1911 — page 14: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This three-panel Judge cartoon satirizes the consequences of trust-busting—the progressive era's aggressive antitrust policies targeting large corporations. **Panel 1 ("TRUST")**: Shows a thriving business with signs for "Day and Night Shifts," "Full Time," "Men Wanted," and "Honest Wages"—depicting a functioning monopoly providing employment. **Panel 2 ("BUST")**: The business is "Closed," illustrating the immediate shutdown following antitrust action. **Panel 3 ("RUST")**: Shows decay and deterioration, suggesting economic stagnation and job losses post-breakup. The caption "A Lesson" implies the cartoon's message: breaking up trusts, while politically popular with reformers, may harm workers and the economy more than help them. This reflects contemporary business-friendly criticism of aggressive antitrust enforcement during the Progressive Era.