A complete, restored issue of Judge from 1887-07-02 — all 16 pages of color political cartoons and topical humor, free to page through at comicbooks.com.

On the cover: # "The Weakening of the Props" This July 1887 *Judge* cartoon satirizes the decline of monarchical power in Europe. The central elderly figure appears to be a weakened European monarch (likely representing traditional monarchy generally), seated in an ornate throne that's visibly deteriorating. He's surrounded by caricatured figures in military dress—appearing to be representatives of various European powers or political factions. The title "The Weakening of the Props" suggests the supporting structures of absolute monarchy are crumbling. The cartoon likely comments on late-19th-century political movements toward democracy and constitutional reform that were undermining traditional autocratic rule across Europe during this period. The ornate but unstable throne symbolizes how monarchical authority, once seemingly permanent, faced growing instability from modernizing forces.

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

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