A complete, restored issue of Judge from 1886-12-11 — all 16 pages of color political cartoons and topical humor, free to page through at comicbooks.com.

On the cover: # "A Dreadful Shrinkage" - December 11, 1886 This political cartoon satirizes the consequences of free trade policy. The left panel shows a robust congressman confidently advocating "Free Trade" to a packed chamber. The right panel depicts the same figure visibly diminished in size, representing the devastating effects of free trade on American prosperity. The caption contrasts two positions: Speaker Carlisle entering Congress with free trade optimism versus the same figure emerging with his policy vindicated but the country economically shrunken. The satire suggests that while free trade advocates might claim victory, the actual result is national economic contraction. This reflects the protectionist versus free trade debates of the 1880s, with Judge's editors clearly opposing free trade policies they believed harmed American interests.

🖼️ Every page has a plain-English note on what you’re looking at — the figures, the references, the point of the satire.

← Back to Judge: The Rival in Color All exhibitions