Puck — November 21, 1877 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This engraving depicts Death (skeleton) as a figure of authority, holding a scroll labeled "INFALLIBILITY." The skeleton wears draped robes and wields a scythe, the traditional iconography of the Grim Reaper. The satire appears to critique claims of infallibility—likely referencing the Catholic Church's doctrine of papal infallibility (formally declared in 1870). By depicting Death itself as "infallible," the cartoonist suggests that claims of absolute, unchallengeable authority are absurd or dangerous. The message seems to be: the only truly infallible force is death itself, and mortal institutions should not presume such absolute certainty. The artwork style and Puck publication context suggest this is 19th-century American political satire.