Puck — April 30, 1879 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Puck cartoon satirizes **Roscoe Conkling**, a prominent Republican senator and political boss of the Gilded Age. The title mockingly compares him to Julius Caesar, while the visual emphasizes his vanity: the figure displays carefully curled hair and holds a revolver, suggesting both his political aggression and his reputation for personal grooming. The caption's pun on "Custom House" references Conkling's control over New York's Custom House patronage—a major source of political power. The joke attacks his contradiction: despite causing "politics whirl," he remains preoccupied with his appearance ("neat back and Hyperion curl"). This ridicules Conkling's vanity alongside his ruthless political machine tactics during the contentious Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction era.