The Wasp — 1896 — page 854: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts San Francisco in distress, personified as a woman drowning in murky water. On the shore, political figures hold campaign signs: "Vote for Dimond and Help Boss Buckley" and "Cheap Mayors - S**t The Push." Signs on the left reference "Boss Griffins" and "Taylor." The cartoon satirizes corrupt machine politics in San Francisco, suggesting that political bosses like Buckley, Griffins, and Taylor are offering false solutions to the city's problems rather than genuine rescue. The drowning woman represents San Francisco suffering under their political control. The competing campaign signs mock how these politicians exploit the city's distress for electoral gain, offering only hollow promises ("cheap mayors") rather than real reform or relief from corruption.