The Wasp — 1895 — page 119: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a dialogue between a young boy and an older man (likely a doctor or authority figure). The boy asks what a man from London is called, and the man responds "A parasite, Bobby." The satire targets British immigrants or visitors to America, characterizing them as parasitic—living off others without contributing. This reflects late 19th-century American anxieties about foreign influence and economic competition. The casual, matter-of-fact tone in which the "lesson" is delivered to a child emphasizes how deeply anti-British sentiment was embedded in American popular culture. The cartoon's title, "Sometimes Correct," suggests the magazine's satirical acknowledgment that such stereotypes held some grain of truth in public perception, even if exaggerated for comedic effect.