The Wasp — 1896 — page 638: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a chimpanzee in distress, surrounded by financial documents and books including references to "Finances," "Tariff," and "The Dingley Tariff." The ape's overwhelmed posture—lying down with head in hand—illustrates the joke: even a primate cannot comprehend complex financial matters. The "Dingley Tariff" reference suggests this cartoon targets the Dingley Tariff of 1897, which raised import duties. The satire mocks either the tariff's complexity or those promoting it as so incomprehensibly convoluted that only an animal-level intellect would struggle with it—or conversely, that debating such issues reduces intelligent discourse to primitive levels. The title confirms the cartoon's central joke about financial bewilderment.