The Wasp — 1876 — page 70: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1876 satirical cartoon depicts an elephant labeled "City Treasury" being ridden by a well-dressed man in a top hat, wielding a sword marked "SALE." A female allegorical figure (likely representing the city or its citizens) pulls on a rope labeled "Red Tape," attempting to control the elephant. The cartoon critiques the sale or privatization of municipal assets—specifically the city treasury. The elephant, a massive creature difficult to control, represents the unwieldy treasury being exploited for profit. The man's violent sword-wielding suggests aggressive or corrupt mismanagement, while the woman's futile struggle with "Red Tape" (bureaucratic procedures) implies citizens lack power to stop this plundering of public resources. The original cost of $123,000 is noted, suggesting specific fiscal controversy.