Puck, 1878-12-11 · page 1 of 16
Puck — December 11, 1878 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
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.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
DECEMBER SST) Price, 10 Conts : fee} ; PUBLISHED BY 3 = NEW YORK SS. OFFICE N° 13 NORTH WILLIAM ST. KEPPLER & SCHWARZMANN. "TRADE NEW YORK ie ae x INTERNATIONA DAIRY | FAIR. aT AMERICAN.’ ON THE WRONG SCENT. Puck:—/Give it up, my-friends, that’s something like Mr. Stewart, but it isn’t he.” % comicbooks.com