Puck — March 5, 1879 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Puck Page 3 The central cartoon, "How the Old Thing Works," depicts a grotesque figure labeled "TAMMANY" manipulating a smaller figure below like a puppet on strings. This is a direct attack on **Tammany Hall**, the notoriously corrupt Democratic political machine that dominated New York City politics. The accompanying article, "The Tenement Question," criticizes wealthy philanthropists and churches for ineffective responses to urban poverty. It sarcastically notes their efforts to "convert the Heathen abroad" while ignoring suffering in American tenement houses. The satire suggests that Tammany Hall's corruption and mismanagement directly enabled tenement-house conditions, and that the machine controlled politicians like puppets, preventing meaningful reform. The piece demands systemic action rather than charity.