Puck — May 14, 1879 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features two cartoons. The top banner, "What fools these Mortals be!" references Shakespeare and appears to be the magazine's masthead. The main cartoon, titled "California's New Constitution," depicts a grotesque demon or monster labeled "NEW CONSTITUTION" greedily clutching money and property (marked with dollar signs and "LAND"). Tiny human figures scatter around it in alarm. The satire criticizes California's newly adopted 1879 constitution as a destructive, predatory force that threatens citizens' property and financial security. The monster imagery suggests the constitution was viewed by Puck's editors as monstrous or dangerous—likely referencing concerns about anti-Chinese provisions, labor protections, or corporate regulations that conservative critics found threatening to business interests and property rights.