The Wasp — 1895 — page 176: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a man with a distinctive mustache holding a gavel, standing above a large crowd of figures labeled "POLITICIAN" and "OFFICE SEEKER." The figures are shown bent over or crawling, suggesting servile submission or degradation. The title "Wasp" and the caption referencing "San Francisco" and "Our Prudent and Attentive Local Statesmen" indicate this critiques San Francisco's political establishment. The cartoon satirizes local politicians and office-seekers as obsequious and corrupt, willing to bend to authority's demands. The gavel-wielder appears to represent judicial or executive authority wielding power over these debased figures. The overall message suggests contempt for the city's political class as self-serving and morally compromised.