Puck — February 12, 1879 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes the hypocrisy of charity galas. The top panel shows a hospital ward where a dying child receives "no delicacies" under "retrenchment by order of commissioners," while the right panels depict wealthy attendees at a "Charity Ball" indulging in wine and fine dining—the "Grand Financial Result" showing £15,000 raised but little reaching the poor. The bottom panel titled "Grand Result to the Poor" shows a destitute mother and child outside a sanitarium, highlighting the disconnect between charitable fundraising and actual aid to the needy. The satire critiques how Victorian charitable institutions served more as social venues for the wealthy than as effective relief mechanisms, with most funds apparently absorbed by overhead rather than helping the suffering poor the galas ostensibly served.