Puck — August 28, 1878 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Puck Magazine Cartoon Analysis (August 28, 1878) This cartoon satirizes chaos at the "Pottering Committee," likely a legislative body or political commission. The caption reads: "No more liars or loosies wanted here. The committee themselves have gone crazy!" The scene depicts physical mayhem—men fighting, papers scattered, books flying—suggesting the committee has descended into disorder and incompetence. The doorkeeper's exasperated comment implies the committee members themselves are the problem: they're hypocritically excluding "liars" while behaving chaotically. The specific committee isn't entirely clear from the text alone, but the satire targets political dysfunction and the irony of institutions attempting to maintain standards while their own members behave badly. This reflects 19th-century American skepticism toward government committees and partisan bickering.