Puck — January 1, 1879 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1879 *Puck* cartoon satirizes corrupt banking practices involving clergy in Cincinnati. A crowned bishop or religious authority figure presides over a scene where depositors kneel before him, apparently surrendering their money. Documents labeled with various states and financial terms litter the floor. The caption quotes Leo XIII (to Archbishop Purcell): "I beg you? Certainly, with pleasure. And you can tell your depositors that I can't give them back their money, but they can take it out in absolution." The satire attacks the Catholic Church's financial malfeasance—specifically, appears to reference Archbishop Purcell's involvement in a major Cincinnati banking scandal where church funds were lost. The cartoon mocks how religious authority was exploited to manipulate depositors into accepting spiritual consolation instead of financial restitution.