Puck — November 21, 1877 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Puck's Essential Oil of Congress" This cartoon satirizes congressional ineffectiveness through the metaphor of a patent medicine. The figure at left appears to be a congressman or senator literally *squeezing* Congress like a bottle of tonic, extracting its essence. The joke mocks how little substantive output Congress produces—suggesting its "essential oil" is negligible, like snake oil. The accompanying text criticizes various congressmen's speeches about the Resumption Act (currency policy), national honor, and labor disputes. Puck ridicules them as blowhards who accomplish little while talking endlessly. The cartoon suggests Congress itself has become a worthless nostrum—all packaging and marketing with no actual benefit to the nation.