WARNING: The below 19th century cartoon contains racist imagery.

The above cartoon, depicting stock market manipulators/”Monopoly Missionaries” Cyrus Field (holding oar), Jay Gould (mid-boat), and William H. Vanderbilt (bow), weeping at how their good works are unappreciated by the Masses — who are shown as (the 19th century racist depiction of) “inferior savages”. This illustration caught my eye, as similar to how Wall Street/Republicans/the Conservative Press currently view the Occupy Wall Street movement. The Good Monopoly Missionaries and the Wicked Island, by Frederick Burr Opper, appeared on the front cover of the February 28th, 1883 issue of Puck magazine.

Click on the above cartoon, to both enlarge it, and view the entire Puck front cover.

Below, is Puck‘s editorial prose, commenting on the subject of Opper’s cartoon.

To find prior episodes of this series,click on Wall Street Frauds Make Wonderful Cartoons. And, to find earlier posts concerning financial reforms in general, click here.

Doug Wheeler

financial reform NYPuck