Puck, 1879-12-03 · page 5 of 18
Puck — December 3, 1879 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks Jacob Oppenheimer Jr., a Jewish businessman, through a narrative comic strip. The title "Horseman of Israel" is clearly ironic—Oppenheimer is repeatedly shown as an incompetent, nervous rider who cannot control his horse "Shakey." The satire plays on antisemitic stereotypes: Oppenheimer is portrayed as an uncultured clothing dealer trying to adopt genteel pursuits (horseback riding, acquiring "gentleman riders") but failing embarrassingly. His father, Oppenheimer Sr., represents establishment wealth and disapproval of his son's pretensions. The repeated emphasis on the horse throwing him, his anxiety, and his social awkwardness suggests the cartoon's purpose was mocking Jewish assimilation attempts and reinforcing prejudicial caricatures about Jewish unsuitability for "refined" activities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PUCK. THE HORSEMAN OF’ ISRAEL. Mr. Jacob Oppenheimer, junior, had long cherished a taste for the Turf. For years, how- ever, he was obliged to indulge the said taste surreptitiously, for it was one which Mr. Oppen- heimer, senior, held to be inconsistent with a But the sternest of men and Clothing-Dealers And ere the month is out, Mr. J. Oppen- is, after all, but mortal; and one day Mr. Op- _heimer, junior, finds himself the owner of ‘“‘a penheimer, junior, encountered Mr. Oppen- shtables,” and in intizate relations with a rigid heimer, senior, at Jerome Park. Mr, Oppen- and imposing, yet not unkindly person, whom heimer, junior, confided to his father the desire of his heart; and Mr. Oppenheimer, senior, owned that he could take a fatherly pride in a son who was ‘a ginooine Shport, Shakey, like one uf dem fellers.” single-minded devotion to Bizhness, Under whose tuition he soon learnsto mount — And though there are still some misgivin; a gallant steed and stay mounted for fifteen in the paternal heart, and although Mr'Enery minutes. Mr. Oppenheimer, senior, is propor- Ferguson has warned him to be careful not to tionately proud, and remarks: “I tells you,dot _ break ‘is bloomin’ neck,” Oppenheimer enters poy Shakey vas no slou-ich alleweil.” for the next “ gentleman riders’ handicap. The race is begun, and the “ oxpensive He finds out. She is going to throw him horse" goes off in a way that seems to justify over her head. She does throw him over her her oxpensiveness. But all of a sudden she head. “Aber you don’ get away, ain'd it?” pauses, with a horrible suddenness, and her ex says the dauntless Mr. Oppenheimer, junior, hausted rider anxiously asks himself: ‘ Vot as he urges on his headlong course. vos dot horse a-goin’ for to go for to do?” Mr. Oppenheimer, senior, introduces as: ‘Mr, "Enery Fergushon, Shakey, uf dot Baron von Rothschild’s shtables.” The day has come for the “gentlemen riders.” Mr. Oppenheimer, junior, puts his English mare through a few preliminary exer- cises, while Mr. Oppenheimer, senior, goes round striving to stimulate the betting on “My poy Shakey, auf dot oxpensive horse.” a A eves On the next day, when Mr. Oppenheimer, junior, gets down to the store, rather late, Mr. Oppenheimer, senior, calls him into the private office, and says: “ Shakey, hereafter next dime you vas go you your shentleman’s handicaps auf dot, uf you blease!”” comicbooks.com