Puck — December 11, 1878 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "On the Wrong Scent" This December 1878 Puck cartoon satirizes what appears to be a famous criminal case or scandal involving someone named Mr. Stewart. Dogs (likely representing detectives or investigators) are following a scent at an "International Dairy Fair," sniffing around items like butter and limburger cheese. The joke plays on "scent" — both the literal smell the dogs follow and the figurative sense of being "on the scent" of a criminal. The dogs have pursued the wrong trail, distracted by the pungent dairy products rather than the actual suspect. Puck is mocking investigators or authorities for pursuing a false lead or mishandling evidence in what was apparently a well-known contemporary case.