The Wasp — 1877 — page 133: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents four ethnographic sketches labeled "Isthmus of Panama" and "Central America," sourced from Muybridge photographs. The illustrations depict: 1. Domestic life in Las Nubes (thatched-roof dwelling with Indigenous people) 2. Church of San Francisco (colonial architecture) 3. Statue of Columbus with a figure (unclear if satirizing the monument or colonial legacy) 4. Water carrier on horseback The content appears documentary rather than overtly satirical—likely serving The Wasp's interest in exotic, distant lands during the era of American imperial expansion. The framing through photography lends pseudo-scientific authority to what are essentially ethnographic representations of Central American peoples and colonial infrastructure. The specific satirical angle, if present, remains unclear without additional context about contemporary Panama debates.