He had a hunch 1913

Louis Glackens made this political cartoon, He had a hunch, using ink and graphite on paper. I can just imagine Glackens, inking the dark cloak that envelopes the figure, who’s sneaking away down some steps. He's carrying a golden pot with a tiny little shrub in it. I wonder what that hunch is. It must be something secret, something worth protecting. But what really catches my eye is the bulletin board in the background. It's plastered with notices: "Delicatessen Trust," "Child Labor," "Easy Money Trust." It’s almost as if each notice is an active brushstroke. You know, each one carefully placed to create this chaotic composition, a kind of visual record of social ills. Glackens is pointing a finger, asking us to look closer at the messes we are making. The whole scene has a theatrical feel, right? The figure’s dramatic cloak, the busy bulletin board. You can almost hear the buzz of gossip and speculation in the air. This piece feels like a conversation starter, which of course it was meant to be!