The Wasp — 1895 — page 316: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical comic titled "Wasp" depicts a German immigrant's entrepreneurial journey in America, likely from the early 20th century. The three-panel narrative shows: 1. **Top panel**: A German in bicycle costume at a shop advertising "Bicycles at your own price" and "Bicycles given away"—mocking aggressive American business tactics. 2. **Middle panel**: The same figure, now as "Scorcher," riding a pneumatic-tire bicycle while exercising in public—satirizing both German immigrants and emerging cycling fads. 3. **Bottom panel**: The entrepreneur rushing to deposit profits at a bank, labeled "He is kept busy immediately packing off his profits to the bank." The satire critiques how German immigrants quickly adopted American business practices and materialism, abandoning cultural authenticity for financial gain. The progression humorously suggests that business success becomes all-consuming.