Life, 1885-04-09 · page 1 of 16
Life — April 9, 1885 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Life" Magazine, April 9, 1885 This cartoon depicts a large tiger (labeled "Democratic Tiger") confronting a smaller animal, with the caption: "So you and I are to lie down together. Well there's plenty of room—inside." The satire appears to reference post-Civil War political tensions between Democrats and Republicans. The "Democratic Tiger" represents the Democratic Party, while the smaller creature likely represents the Republican Party or a Republican political figure. The threatening phrase "plenty of room—inside" suggests the tiger intends to consume or absorb its rival, implying Democratic intentions to dominate or eliminate Republican political power. This reflects 1880s anxieties about which party would control post-Reconstruction America's political future.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME Vv. NEW YORK, APRIL 9g, 1885. NUMBER 119. Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. A 3 ea teak Grrwert ides tr epanerceeuss pO pre t pe “Copy hy af H'M. Democratic Tiger: SO YOU AND I ARE TO LIE DOWN TOGETHER, WELL THERE 'S PLENTY OF ROOM—INSIDE, comicbooks.com