Puck — December 10, 1879 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes the enormous power and reach of railroad corporations in American infrastructure. The image depicts a giant skeletal or death-like figure straddling a vast network of railroad tracks and bridges, dominating the landscape below where small human figures appear insignificant. The title references the "Colossus of Rhodes," invoking comparisons to ancient monuments of power—here suggesting railroads have become an all-powerful force in modern America. The scattered signs and text (though illegible in this reproduction) likely criticize specific railroad monopolies or practices. This reflects Gilded Age concerns about corporate consolidation, where major railroad companies wielded enormous political and economic influence over American development, seemingly beyond public control or accountability.