The Wasp — 1896 — page 923: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains a single political cartoon titled "Just Cause for Indignation," featuring two men in formal dress seated at a table in apparent conflict. **The Figures:** Mr. Gotbox and Jack Hardup are named in the dialogue below the cartoon, though their real-world identities are unclear from this image alone. **The Satire:** The joke centers on a marriage dispute: Gotbox objects to Hardup marrying his daughter, claiming she gave "no encouragement." Hardup responds indignantly that the daughter actually told him she was worth "a hundred thousand dollars in her own name"—implying her father's wealth (not her affection) motivated the proposal. The title suggests this financial deception justifies Gotbox's anger. The cartoon satirizes mercenary marriages and class tensions around wealth and courtship in the period.