Puck — July 31, 1878 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1878 *Puck* cartoon satirizes the Nationalist political movement and their associated newspaper (the "paper jackass"). The central image depicts a donkey standing on a platform labeled "Nationalist Platform," wearing a saddle marked "United States" with a classical bust (likely representing a founding principle or leader) protruding from its head. Figures below—appearing to represent different political or social groups—look up at this spectacle. The caption references Exodus Chapter XXXII, alluding to the biblical golden calf, suggesting the Nationalists are promoting a false idol or misguided movement. The cartoon's message: the Nationalist platform is foolish, unstable, and commands questionable devotion from its followers.