The Wasp — 1895 — page 742: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a legal proceeding, likely at a courthouse (referenced by the "SCENE AT THE LAW COURTS" caption). A workingman appears to object to something—the caption reads: "Objection did not count. Workingman ('a old lady, who has entered smoking car, please object to smoking, mum'). 'Most decidedly I do!' 'Then get right out at once; for yet in the wrong box.'" The satire criticizes class inequality in the legal system. Despite the workingman's legitimate objection to smoking in a passenger car, his complaint is dismissed—he's told to leave instead. The joke suggests that working-class people have no actual legal standing or protection, even when right. Their objections literally "do not count" in a system that favors wealthy or established interests. It's social commentary on systemic powerlessness.