“Judge” Magazine cover · Carlson Fable Collection

Title: “Judge” Magazine cover
Description: 1887 “Judge” Magazine cover for December 24, 1887. “The Grasshopper and the Ant.” “Bernhard Gillam, with apologies to Vibert.( Vol. 13, No. 323. Unknown source.

This piece is a remarkable evidence of the power of tradition. La Fontaine transformed a fable inherited from Aesop. Vibert transformed a fable story into an anti-clerical indictment. Gillam transforms Vibert’s work into political satire. The central figures are remarkably faithful to Gilbert’s painting. The addition of the White House here makes all the difference! Am I correct in assuming that the “industrious ant” is Grover Cleveland? Might Lucius Lamar be the “mugwump grasshopper,” a former Confederate whom Cleveland got onto the supreme court by a bare margin in 1887?
Date: 1887
Subject: Printed Materials See all items with this value; Cartoons about Politics See all items with this value; Other Political Cartoons See all items with this value; The Grasshopper and the Ant See all items with this value