In the 1890s, ballot reform was so threatening to political machines that they fought it tooth and nail. This Judge cartoon captured that fear — corruption hanging on for dear life while the idea of fair elections pulled away faster than they could stop it. More than a century later, the cast of characters has changed, but the panic looks the same. Whenever democracy becomes harder to rig, the same old forces — different names, same instincts — scramble to block it. This artwork isn’t about left or right. It’s about the people who fear fair elections, and the democratic reforms they try to drag down with them. Vintage satire, modern warnings. Real ink. Real history. Anti-authoritarian then and now.
100% certified organic ring-spun cotton | Tear-away label and Econscious tag
In this satirical Judge spread, Bernhard Gillam recasts America’s major political players as nervous animals crowding toward an improvised “Ark” run by the Farmers’ Alliance. The message is clear: in an age of corruption, graft, and economic upheaval, even the most powerful party figures scramble for cover. Gillam uses the familiar Noah’s Ark story to skewer the era’s political opportunism—showing lions, elephants, foxes, and donkeys all trying to dodge a storm they helped create.
It’s a razor-sharp commentary on how political coalitions behave when the public mood shifts: unity suddenly matters, principles bend, and every creature hustles for a spot on the next safe ship.
More than a century later, the scene feels familiar. The storm changes, the scramble remains.
100% certified organic ring-spun cotton | Grown without pesticides
Illustrated by F. M. Howarth, this July 6, 1898 Puck page delivers a tidy lesson in overconfidence. A self-satisfied cyclist plots a petty revenge, certain he controls both the situation and the road ahead. Panel by panel, bravado turns into spectacle as his scheme quite literally flips against him, leaving humiliation where triumph was expected.
The humor is gentle but pointed, exposing how ego and small scheming so often collapse under their own weight.
100% heavy cotton canvas | Flat corners and sewn construction with reinforced stitching
Finally — a tote that tells fascists where to go. Taken from a 1916 French magazine cover and paired with the slogan “À LA PORTE LES TYRANS” (Out the door, tyrants), this bag blends vintage art with modern defiance.
Art. History. Resistance. And room for snacks.
100% heavy cotton canvas | Flat corners and sewn construction with reinforced stitching
This two-sided tote pairs two satirical illustrations from Cami’s 1917 feature “Charlot correspondant de Guerre” in La Baïonnette. On one side, Charlot receives a registered letter from a uniformed official beneath the line, “Voici une lettre recommandée que je vous apporte” (Here is a registered letter I am delivering to you), a small moment of wartime bureaucracy rendered in Cami’s playful hand.
The reverse side reproduces a companion drawing in which Charlot, flustered and anxious, faces an authority figure ready to give orders. These scenes come from the same 22 March 1917 issue and reflect Cami’s larger project: using Chaplin’s persona to expose the absurdities of military life, wartime paperwork, and the comical posturing of officials. Together, they create a portable archival vignette of early twentieth-century satire.
100% heavy cotton canvas | Flat corners and sewn construction with reinforced stitching
A 1916 World War I illustration by A. Willette, published in La Baïonnette, this cartoon leaves little to interpretation. Entrenched power is not shown stepping aside voluntarily; it is forced out through collective action. Willette frames political removal as a physical, popular act rather than a polite appeal to authority.
Created during the collapse of old empires, the image reflects a moment when public patience with authoritarian bravado had worn thin. A century later, its message remains direct and unsettlingly familiar: when power refuses accountability, pressure does not come from above—it comes from below.
100% ring-spun cotton | Pearlized tear-away label | Unisex
Illustrated by Armand Gallo, this La Baïonnette image, published during the First World War, turns wartime censorship into quiet satire. A fox looks upward while a crow perches above beside a warning nailed to a tree: “Taisez-vous — Méfiez-vous!” (“Keep quiet — be on your guard”).
Rather than depicting battle or heroism, the image shows authority as atmosphere—posted warnings, enforced vigilance, and speech reduced to risk. Using animal figures, the cartoon exposes how obedience takes hold not through force, but through fear made routine.
Original illustration from the French political magazine La Baïonnette, preserved as an archival artifact of wartime control and dissent.
100% ring-spun cotton | Pearlized, tear-away label | Oeko-Tex certified | Unisex
This 1916 illustration from La Baïonnette, drawn by Gerda Wegener, turns wartime paranoia into social farce. Three women lean together in exaggerated secrecy while two dachshunds move anxiously below them—literal punchlines to the caption’s warning that “they have ears.”
The image captures an atmosphere shaped less by official authority than by rumor and suspicion. Wegener exaggerates fashion and posture alike, stretching bodies into caricature while preserving the delicacy of watercolor and line. The preserved oval frame reinforces the sense of a composed illustration plate, exposing how quickly fear reorganizes everyday social life under pressure.
100% ring-spun cotton | Pearlized, tear-away label | Oeko-Tex certified | Unisex
Jacques Nam stages a lively animal fable: a circle of creatures gathered like a choir, framed by rows of watchful crows. Each figure reacts to the small drama at the center, where the talkative magpie has finally been quieted so the others can be heard. The scene balances humor with a touch of mischief, turning group dynamics into light satire.
The original caption captures the punchline more directly: “Did you see the magpie? It was the only way to make her keep quiet!” Nam lets the animals carry the joke, relying on posture, expression, and rhythm rather than exaggeration.
A charming glimpse of early twentieth-century illustration, playful without losing its wit.
100% ring-spun cotton | Pearlized, tear-away label | Oeko-Tex certified | Unisex
In this 1884 Puck cartoon, James G. Blaine appears as a crooked Pied Piper, puffing on a magical flute labeled “Magnetic Influence” while trying to lure newspaper editors into supporting his presidential ambitions. Each “child” carries a newspaper title—and each one refuses to follow. The message was unmistakable: a free press cannot be bought, charmed, or intimidated into obedience. This edition was printed for Puck’s German-speaking readership, which is why the caption beneath the image is in German—but the cartoon itself retains its original English labels and satire. Nothing has been altered; the artwork is presented exactly as it appeared in 1884. Puck published this during the Republican National Convention, warning that political demagogues thrive only when journalists stop asking hard questions.
More than a century later, it still hits home. A restored antique print reminding us that independent journalism is democracy’s immune system.
Crew length | Recycled Polyester-Cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
This 1889 Judge magazine cover turns the autumn elections into a baseball showdown—one where the Republican Party can’t keep its head in the game. The elephant at the plate, dressed in full GOP uniform, is surrounded by opponents ready to capitalize on every mistake, while the caption warns that the party is playing so carelessly it risks being “struck out.” It’s classic Gilded Age political satire: sharp, funny, and brutally honest about how complacency and corruption undermine a democracy.
Over a century later, the message still holds—authoritarian movements thrive when the party in power stops playing by the rules and starts taking voters for granted. A perfect piece of authentic resistance art from 1889—real ink, artists, real archives.
Crew length | Recycled Polyester-Cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
In 1890, Judge Magazine took aim at Chicago’s swaggering bid to host the World’s Fair. The artist imagines the city as an overconfident cowboy straining beneath a globe-sized promise, while Uncle Sam looks on with a familiar mix of annoyance and inevitability. It’s a classic American problem: leaders who chase spectacle, prestige, and headlines—and then expect the public to carry the weight when reality hits. This piece lands squarely in the tradition of resistance satire that exposes political vanity and the empty theatrics of power. Then as now, grand projects can become distractions from real governance, transparency, and accountability. A perfect choice for anyone who enjoys watching hubris get the skewering it deserves.
Crew length | Recycled Polyester-Cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
In this 1891 Judge cartoon, Grover Cleveland appears as a jackdaw parading in borrowed peacock feathers—each one a state election he tries to claim as his own. The joke is sharp and simple: a politician taking credit he didn’t earn. More than a century later, the image still lands. American politics is full of figures who rewrite outcomes, inflate their wins, and strut like victors no matter the truth. Today’s authoritarian-leaning politicians have perfected the move—turning losses into “stolen victories” and treating democratic processes as props for personal glory.
This piece fits squarely within the mission of The Antifascist Shop: real historical art exposing the recurring tactics of opportunism, ego, and the hunger for unearned power. Some patterns never fade—so neither should the satire that calls them out.
Crew length | Recycled Polyester-Cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
This 1891 Judge Magazine cover skewers political theatrics long before Twitter ever existed. A monk and a court jester—one solemn, one scheming—attempt a “duet” that’s really just noisy, mismatched chaos. Their sheet music jokes about “They’re after me” and “Razzle Dazzle,” mocking politicians who talk harmony while delivering nothing but discord. A century later, the message still lands: when politicians substitute drama for substance, when ego drowns out governance, democracy suffers.
This vintage piece is part of The Antifascist Shop’s mission to bring real historical satire back into the present fight—because political dysfunction has always been a warning sign, and these old cartoons saw it coming.
Crew length | Recycled Polyester-Cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
In this 1897 Puck cover, Louis Dalrymple turns a Fourth of July celebration into a sharp critique of Gilded Age economics. A downcast Uncle Sam struggles to ignite a rocket labeled “Prosperity,” while black clouds marked “Tariff for Trusts” gather overhead. The promise of national well-being is literally sputtering in the rain—undercut not by weather, but by the political choices feeding corporate monopolies.
It’s a classic Puck indictment: when government shields the powerful instead of the public, even national holidays lose their spark. A century later, the warning still holds.
Crew length | Recycled Polyester-Cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
Drawn by Léonnec for the1915 issue of La Baïonnette, this illustration captures the mix of competence, fatigue, and unguarded humanity that marked the daily life of wartime nurses. Rather than focusing on the front lines, it turns inward to a private moment at the edge of a hospital ward.
The caption provides the twist: “Where heroism becomes woman again — Of course, I saw the Battle of the Marne, but this… I cannot do.” It’s a sly nod to the gulf between public expectation and personal limits, using gentle comedy to show how even decorated nurses navigated ordinary vulnerabilities.
A lively example of Léonnec’s wartime style, balancing humor with the subtle pressures of service.
Crew length | Recycled Polyester-Cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
This 1916 page from La Baïonnette, illustrated by Jacques Nam, presents a compact allegory of wartime transformation. In the upper panel, Médor lies at ease, a domestic companion guarding private virtue. Below, the same dog stands alert and watchful, recast as a sentinel of national duty. The caption makes the shift explicit: “Before, I guarded Ninette’s virtue. Now, I guard the honor of France.”
Simple and striking, the image reflects how war quietly redraws the boundaries between private life and public obligation. Loyalty, once personal and familiar, is redefined as a national resource. Without depicting battle or heroics, the cartoon captures the moral logic of total war, where even everyday symbols are pressed into service.
Crew length | Casual, dress, active | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
This 1916 page from La Baïonnette, illustrated by Jacques Nam, presents a compact allegory of wartime transformation. In the upper panel, Médor lies at ease, a domestic companion guarding private virtue. Below, the same dog stands alert and watchful, recast as a sentinel of national duty. The caption makes the shift explicit: “Before, I guarded Ninette’s virtue. Now, I guard the honor of France.”
Simple and striking, the image reflects how war quietly redraws the boundaries between private life and public obligation. Loyalty, once personal and familiar, is redefined as a national resource. Without depicting battle or heroics, the cartoon captures the moral logic of total war, where even everyday symbols are pressed into service.
Crew length | Casual, dress, active | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
A century before memes, there was La Baïonnette — a French satirical magazine that used illustration as resistance. This piece, “L’Aigle Impérial” (The Imperial Eagle), was published during World War I. In the cartoon, the eagle represents German imperial power under Kaiser Wilhelm II. Its wings are tattered, its body is wounded, and the caption beneath the image reads: “He will return to his nest, stripped and wounded — and never come out again.” It wasn’t just art — it was prophecy, mocking the collapse of a regime that believed itself unstoppable.
Perfect for: anti-authoritarian energy lovers of vintage illustration anyone who enjoys their coffee with a side of political catharsis Public domain artwork, restored from an original 1916 print. Because resistance art never goes out of style.
Crew length | Recycled Polyester-Cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
A wartime caricature in which Cami lampoons the Kaiser’s theatrical posturing, portraying him as a stiff, blood-spattered figure collapsing under his own bluster. The exaggerated uniform and rigid stance echo the brittle self-importance Cami found in wartime leadership.
Beside it, the stark line-drawing variant strips the same figure down to its essentials, emphasizing the nervous tension and fragile bravado beneath the pomp. Together the two images form a pointed critique of authoritarian performance in the late-war atmosphere.
Crew length | Recycled Polyester-Cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
These socks feature Cami’s 1917 illustration “Jalousie!” from La Baïonnette, a sharp caricature of Kaiser Wilhelm II reacting to the popularity of Charlot—Charlie Chaplin’s French screen persona. The original caption includes the plea, “Ne jalousez pas Charlot, Sire! Votre orgueil peut se rassurer! Jamais Charlot ne fera rire autant que vous faites pleurer!” (Do not be jealous of Charlot, Sire! Your pride may rest easy! Charlot will never make people laugh as much as you make them cry!).
The image shows the Kaiser clutching a special issue of La Baïonnette devoted to Charlot, his face twisted with theatrical resentment. Cami’s satire captures the fragile vanity of imperial power during the First World War, exaggerating posture and expression to expose the insecurity beneath the uniform. Rendered in bold color blocks, the illustration translates strikingly into wearable art.
Crew length | Recycled poly-cotton blend | All-over print with solid black toe and heel accents
