Puck — June 4, 1879 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Puck cartoon depicts Lady Liberty surrounded by warning signs and threats reflecting turn-of-the-century anxieties. The signs address contemporary concerns: "Yellow Fever," labor unrest ("Solid South"), economic issues ("What is a Dollar?"), and threats like "Preserve the Sanctity of the North & South Poles" and "Bean Poles." The central figure represents America's republic under siege from multiple dangers. References to "Davis Still Lives" and "Beware of Jeff Davis" appear to reference the post-Civil War South, while "White Lines" and sectional tensions suggest ongoing regional divisions. The overall message satirizes how America faces competing threats and contradictions—some real (disease, labor conflict), some paranoid or absurd (the "poles")—that distract from coherent national purpose. The cartoon critiques sensationalism and conflicting anxieties plaguing the nation.