Puck — April 1877 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Puck Magazine Cartoon Analysis (April 1877) This satirical cartoon features John Morrissey as "Pecksniff," a character from Dickens's *Martin Chuzzlewit*. The image depicts Morrissey (the bearded man atop a signpost labeled "REFORM GOVERNMENT") directing two well-dressed gentlemen, who appear confused or skeptical. The satire mocks Morrissey's political leadership or reform promises as merely directional—all talk with no actual substance. The caption's Dickens reference reinforces this: like Pecksniff, Morrissey is portrayed as a hypocrite who "tells the way to a place, and never goes there." This likely critiques Morrissey's political stance or governance during the Reconstruction era, suggesting his reform rhetoric is dishonest performance rather than genuine commitment.