A complete issue · 16 pages · 1884
Judge — February 2, 1884
# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Our Sick President" **Publication:** *The Judge*, Vol. 5, No. 120, February 2, 1884 **Subject:** The main cartoon critiques a sitting U.S. President (identity unclear from image alone, though 1884 dating suggests Chester Arthur or James Garfield era) for excessive "Sociability" at the expense of "Business." **Visual Satire:** A well-dressed man reclines exhausted among scattered papers, while a woman in fashionable dress presents documents to him. Other figures observe from behind. The "sick president" appears overwhelmed by social obligations rather than attending to governmental duties. **Point:** The cartoon satirizes what the artist views as misplaced presidential priorities—too much socializing, insufficient attention to executive responsibilities. This reflects contemporary debates about presidential effectiveness and proper conduct of office.
# The Judge Magazine Page Analysis The main cartoon depicts **Hubert O. Thompson**, a political figure being investigated by a Senate Committee. The satire mocks Thompson as a wealthy, complacent man ("pachydermatous") facing aggressive legislative scrutiny. Judge suggests Thompson cares more about personal luxury than public works, yet maintains influence despite public disapproval—only the angels esteem him. A secondary piece satirizes **Benjamin Butler**, a general and politician attempting to "fix the wires" (maintain political connections) to advance his ambitions. The metaphor suggests his political maneuvering, though whether he'll successfully navigate to power remains uncertain. A brief anecdote describes **P.T. Barnum**'s witty response to a Boston newspaper editor's criticism—an early instance of celebrity managing negative press. The pieces collectively target corrupt or self-serving public figures and their political machinations during the Gilded Age.
# Political Cartoon Analysis: Judge Magazine Page This page contains two satirical pieces typical of *Judge* magazine's social commentary: **"Day Dreams"** is a poem mocking idle leisure—suggesting that comfortable daydreaming about "fame, or strife" while lounging at home is escapist fantasy disconnected from harsh reality (winter, corn on the cob). **"Mrs. Squizzle's Misfortunes"** satirizes both urban hazards and incompetent policing. Mrs. Squizzle repeatedly falls on sidewalks, then encounters a "professional 'finder'" (a lost-and-found hunter who scours newspaper advertisements for lost items to locate and profit from returning them). The irony: he's so absorbed in searching for others' lost property that he keeps knocking her down. The broader joke appears to target either police negligence or the absurdity of city life where such parasitic professions exist. **"Working Up an Opinion"** (bottom illustration) shows a woman changing her view based on her husband's arguments, then reversing it again—mocking women's perceived fickleness or susceptibility to persuasion, a common sexist trope of the period. All three pieces reflect *Judge*'s satirical take on urban American life.
