A complete issue · 20 pages · 1890
Judge — August 2, 1890
# "A Summer Butterfly" - Judge Magazine, August 2, 1890 This political cartoon satirizes **General R. A. Alger**, who is depicted as an aspirant for Presidential honors. The image shows Alger with a human head and butterfly wings, surrounded by flowers and plants, representing him as a fragile, showy creature of summer rather than a serious political figure. The accompanying verse mocks his candidacy, suggesting he merely "flits and poises in the air" and lacks substance. The satire implies Alger is an ephemeral, superficial political figure—impressive in appearance but insubstantial and temporary, destined to fade when "winter blasts have intervened." This reflects Judge's skepticism toward Alger's presidential ambitions during the 1890 political season.
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page 264 The main cartoon, titled "A Sign of No Business Sagacity," depicts two figures in a small boat near "Burger's Foam House." The image satirizes poor business judgment during what appears to be the midsummer season. The text discusses political uncertainties of the era, referencing Republican policy concerns and references to figures like Mr. McKinley. The broader commentary critiques hesitation and indecision in government—particularly regarding tariff duties and Senate actions—suggesting that excessive caution or delay on important national matters threatens business confidence. The cartoon appears to mock businessmen or politicians who fail to act decisively, using the boat scene as metaphor for being adrift without direction. The "foam house" detail suggests frivolous or insubstantial enterprise.
# "The Defeat of an Amazon; or, French Politeness in Senegal" This satirical cartoon sequence depicts a military encounter, likely referencing French colonial conflicts in Senegal. The series of six numbered scenes shows what appears to be a female warrior ("Amazon") being progressively defeated or subdued through a sequence of physical confrontations. The satire's point seems to be mocking either French military prowess or, conversely, French "politeness" in colonial warfare—suggested by the subtitle. The imagery plays on 19th-century racial and gendered stereotypes common in satirical publications of the period. Without additional historical context about specific Senegalese conflicts or French colonial campaigns, the exact political reference remains unclear, though the cartoon likely commented on contemporary imperial military adventures that Judge's readers would have recognized.
