Anti-Catholic Image of the Week

The years 1910-1915 saw one of the nastiest anti-Catholic backlashes in American history. This cartoon, titled “The Popish Bargain Counter,” shows an innocent Protestant farmer being duped by a priest in biretta and vestments behind the counter. Among the items parodied are Catholic indulgences, the sacraments, and the Catholic reverence for saints’ relics. This cartoon appeared in a 1915 issue of Watson’s Magazine, a journal published and edited by Thomas E. Watson (1856-1922). A Georgia newspaperman and politician, Watson was noted for his rabid hatred of Roman Catholicism. From 1920 until his death, he served as United States Senator from Georgia.(Click on the image for a closer view!)