VISUAL ACTIVITY

Jay Gould as a Spider In this 1885 political cartoon titled “Justice in the Web,” artist Frederick Burr Opper portrays Jay Gould as a hideous spider whose web, formed by Western Union telegraph lines, has entrapped “Justice” through its monopoly of the telegraph industry. Gould made his fortune through speculation on railroads, which often ran with telegraph lines alongside the tracks. Images like this one fueled the public’s hatred of Gould.

READING THE IMAGE: By portraying Gould as a spider, what is the cartoonist trying to say about him?

CONNECTIONS: In what ways did wealthy industrialists use manipulative techniques for personal gain?

The Granger Collection, New York.