The Wasp — 1878 — page 295: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon about California's exhibits at the 1889 Paris Exposition. The central monument features a goat at the top labeled "THE GOLDEN STATE," surrounded by various caricatured figures meant to represent California's actual and imagined productions. The satire mocks California's pretensions to respectability. Labels visible include "HOODLUM" and references to mining, suggesting the cartoonist questions what California truly represents—the "genuine hoodlum" appears prominently rather than agricultural or industrial achievements. The surrounding figures, some appearing to be racial caricatures, seem to ridicule the state's diverse, rough frontier character. The title references "gold medals expected for each one," sarcastically implying California's overconfident expectations for international recognition despite, in the cartoonist's view, its actual crude and unrefined character.