The Wasp — 1896 — page 260: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes predatory dental practices targeting vulnerable populations. The central image shows a dentist using gas-powered extraction equipment on an elderly man's head while displaying an advertisement for the "Monarch Dental Parlors—Extracting Corporation," which charges "$1000 per tooth" and boasts of "a powerful pull." The satire mocks: - Exploitative dental monopolies charging exorbitant fees to poor citizens - The use of dangerous gas technology presented as modern "progress" - The absurdity of extracting teeth from the wealthy and desperate indiscriminately A small figure (possibly representing the working class or a wasp mascot) observes this abuse. The cartoon critiques how corporations use technological innovation to justify predatory pricing while extracting wealth—literal and figurative—from afflicted citizens who cannot afford alternatives.