Grant E. Hamilton’s Judge illustration skewers the era’s rigged gambling rackets—and the political corruption that made them possible. A naïve bettor in a “Fool’s Cap” places his wager while, just over the fence, a row of crooks labeled “Scoundrel,” “Blockie,” “Quincy,” “Swindler Thief,” and more manipulate the entire race with dangling fishing poles. The “judges” themselves sit in a tower that’s every bit as compromised.
What looks like a farce was deadly serious in its time: systems built so the powerful win and the public loses. More than a century later, Hamilton’s message still lands—when the game is rigged, the outcome isn’t fate, it’s design.
Durable stainless steel core with enamel finish resists rust and staining | Lead and BPA-free
Grant E. Hamilton’s Judge illustration skewers the era’s rigged gambling rackets—and the political corruption that made them possible. A naïve bettor in a “Fool’s Cap” places his wager while, just over the fence, a row of crooks labeled “Scoundrel,” “Blockie,” “Quincy,” “Swindler Thief,” and more manipulate the entire race with dangling fishing poles. The “judges” themselves sit in a tower that’s every bit as compromised.
What looks like a farce was deadly serious in its time: systems built so the powerful win and the public loses. More than a century later, Hamilton’s message still lands—when the game is rigged, the outcome isn’t fate, it’s design.
Durable stainless steel core with enamel finish resists rust and staining | Lead and BPA-free
