Discharged as Cured- Puck Magazine

This brilliant Puck magazine cover by Albert Levering delivers a devastating critique of the Payne-Aldrich Tariff, one of the great political debacles of the Taft administration. The battered figure of 'The Consumer' hobbles away from the 'United States Congressional Clinic' covered in bandages labeled with the trivial items placed on the free list: 'Free Spunk,' 'Free Turtles,' 'Free Acorns,' and other absurdities. Meanwhile, President Taft stands smugly in the doorway dressed as a hospital matron, while grinning congressmen watch through the window. The satire captures public outrage over a tariff 'reform' that left protective duties on important consumer goods intact while trumpeting reductions on items nobody needed. Levering's detailed chromolithographic technique brings the scene to vivid life, with careful attention to the labeled bandages that drive home the political point. A standout piece of Progressive Era political commentary from America's most influential satirical magazine, this cover bridges sharp editorial cartooning with the fine art of chromolithography. Size: 13.5" x 10.0" Artist: Albert Levering Condition: Very Good