Puck — October 2, 1878 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Puck Magazine, October 2, 1878 This political cartoon satirizes the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination of Josiah G. Abbott for New York Governor. The main image depicts a bald man's head trapped inside a bottle labeled "UP THE REGULAR DEMOCRACY," with a large spoon force-feeding him "POISON" marked as "ONE SPOONFUL OF ONE OF THE MOST WILL KILL A POLITICAL DIRTY." The caption reads "POOR BENT BOTTLED AGAIN!" The satire suggests that Abbott and the Democratic Party establishment are poisoning themselves through their nomination process—that Abbott is an unwanted or toxic candidate being forced upon the party. The heavy-handed spoon-feeding imagery emphasizes the coercive nature of party politics, implying voters are being made to swallow an objectionable choice.