Who Cares?, from Puck c. 1890

This color lithograph was created by C. Jay Taylor for Puck, a satirical magazine printed in the late 19th century. Lithography is a printmaking process that involves drawing on a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, then applying ink to transfer the image onto paper. The resulting prints, like this one, can be produced in large quantities, making them ideal for mass media. The image here depicts the impact of the McKinley Tariff Act, with laborers being squeezed by industrialists, as a bucket marked "FAT" fills with money, while a senator turns away, seemingly unconcerned. What's interesting is how Taylor uses the lithographic medium to expose the social and political issues of the time, turning mass production against itself, and offering sharp commentary on class, labor, and the distribution of wealth in an industrializing society.