Puck — July 9, 1879 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Puck Magazine Page 275 Analysis This page contains two separate satirical pieces: **"Fitznoodle in America"** (left) appears to be a humorous travelogue mocking a naive European visitor's exaggerated impressions of American life, particularly New York and Coney Island. The caricatured figure observes local customs with comedic bewilderment. **"Onward is the Course of Vanderbilt"** (right) satirizes Commodore Vanderbilt's railroad empire and the family's wealth accumulation. It critiques how the Vanderbilts controlled New York's transportation infrastructure and used their fortune to expand influence, while questioning the ethics of their business practices and suggesting they exploited public resources for private gain. The piece challenges whether such concentrated wealth and power serves the public interest. Both pieces reflect Puck's satirical agenda of critiquing American excess and elite privilege.