Puck — October 3, 1877 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page shows an illustration titled "CONKLING AS MEPHISTOPHELES" with the subtitle "Unto that Poorer is each beling / Which only doth Right sile ever willing Goethe's Faust" The cartoon depicts **Roscoe Conkling**, a prominent Republican politician of the Gilded Age, portrayed as Mephistopheles (the devil figure from Goethe's *Faust*). The classical literary reference suggests Conkling is being satirized as a manipulative, devilish influence—likely regarding his controversial political maneuvers or his role in factional Republican politics. The Faustian allusion implies Conkling tempts others toward morally questionable deals or compromises. This reflects contemporary criticism of Conkling's machine politics and his attempts to consolidate power, particularly during disputes over patronage and party leadership in the 1870s-1880s.