A Picture For Employers. Why They Can Live On 40 Cents A Day, And They Can't.

A Picture For Employers. Why They Can Live On 40 Cents A Day, And They Can't.

Anti-Chinese propaganda

This is a political cartoon entitled “A picture for employers. Why they can live on 40 cents a day, and they can't” designed by J. Keppler and published in Puck Magazine in 1878. While it was produced well before the period scope of this topic (between 1945-1990), the influence of prejudices and stereotypes like these can be seen in continuity with this website’s focus period. Additionally, despite it being an American magazine, its reach extended and helped influence Canada, who was receiving an influx of Chinese immigrants looking for work on the railways or gold mines. This cartoon depicts a dichotomy of morality and principles. On the left are stereotypically defined men of Chinese descent, complete with claws and slim figures, sleeping on the floor or in cramped quarters in filth, and eating rats. On the right there is a stereotypically drawn man of European descent, coming home to his well-furnished home and loving family. It's a contrast between barbarity and civility, the one-in-a-dozen loveless laborer and the valued man of the household. It's these stereotypes which will linger long after the 19th century and continue to influence White society during this period.

J. Keppler

The image can be found in the following article:

Sharp, Gwen. “Old “Yellow Peril” Anti-Chinese Propaganda.” The Society pages, June 20, 2024. https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2014/06/20/old-yellow-peril-anti-chinese-posters/.

Puck Magazine (original publisher)

1878

Public Domain (or should be, unclear whether this applies to the digital copy)

JPG file

English

Still Image