Puck — March 19, 1879 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "That Walking Match" Cartoon Explanation This diagram illustrates a satirical "walking match"—a popular Victorian-era competitive sport where contestants walked long distances for prizes and public entertainment. The cartoon mocks the absurdity of these events by mapping out a walking route on "Madison Avenue" and "Fourth Avenue" in New York, with labeled stations (O'Leary's, Hamilton's, Blasted Briton's, and Black Hand's) marking checkpoints. The accompanying text reveals the satire's target: Puck's artists had refused to draw more pedestrian pictures, so the literary staff created this diagram instead. The joke plays on the era's obsession with walking competitions while simultaneously poking fun at the magazine's own editorial process and the triviality of such sporting events.