Puck — February 12, 1879 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Valentine for Grant" This February 1879 *Puck* cartoon satirizes President Ulysses S. Grant through an ornate clock mechanism. The image shows two figures flanking a grandfather clock: on the left, a rotund man appears distressed, while on the right stands a man with a distinctive mustache. The clock face displays Grant's bearded face at its center. The caption references "Mourning Chords by Matt Carpenter and Iago Logan," suggesting commentary on Grant's administration or legacy. The overall composition appears to mock Grant's presidency, possibly his financial mismanagement or political controversies, by reducing him to a mechanical timepiece—suggesting his era has passed or his influence is mechanical/artificial rather than substantive.