In this 1890 Judge cover, “La Grippe” — the flu epidemic then sweeping the country — is illustrated as a smug, cloaked visitor paying a call on a bedridden Uncle Sam. Bottles of patent “cures,” useless pills, and a wrecked sickroom complete the scene. It’s medical satire, yes, but also a criticism of how America responds when crisis walks in the door: too little preparation, too much bravado, and a nation left holding the bill. A century later, the image feels uncomfortably familiar. We’ve watched modern political movements deny science, sabotage public health, and treat national illness as a culture-war prop. The cartoon reminds us that epidemics don’t care about slogans — and that ignoring reality has always come with a cost.
Real historical art, reborn to expose the same patterns of incompetence and authoritarian neglect that still threaten our democracy.
In this 1890 Judge cover, “La Grippe” — the flu epidemic then sweeping the country — is illustrated as a smug, cloaked visitor paying a call on a bedridden Uncle Sam. Bottles of patent “cures,” useless pills, and a wrecked sickroom complete the scene. It’s medical satire, yes, but also a criticism of how America responds when crisis walks in the door: too little preparation, too much bravado, and a nation left holding the bill. A century later, the image feels uncomfortably familiar. We’ve watched modern political movements deny science, sabotage public health, and treat national illness as a culture-war prop. The cartoon reminds us that epidemics don’t care about slogans — and that ignoring reality has always come with a cost.
Real historical art, reborn to expose the same patterns of incompetence and authoritarian neglect that still threaten our democracy.
