Going through the rapids
1901
Frank Nankivell, the star cartoonist for the legendary humor magazine Puck, serves up a delicious slice of Gilded Age satire with a distinct Art Nouveau flair. In this scene, a rotund, cigar-chomping tycoon—decked out in a flashy plaid vest and clutching a bouquet—gestures grandly while a wide-eyed young boy looks on with a mix of awe and bewilderment. A woman peeks conspiratorially from behind a swirling, patterned curtain in the background, hinting at the domestic drama lurking behind all that wealth. Nankivell was a master at mocking the 'robber barons' of New York, and this caricature perfectly captures the absurdity of the era's elite as they navigate the turbulent 'rapids' of high society and pass the torch to the next generation.