The Wasp — 1888 — page 105: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts Lady Justice atop a classical column, wielding a broom to sweep out corrupt lawyers from the legal system. The three men being expelled from the "temple" (representing the courts) appear to be dishonest attorneys or legal fraudsters—"shysters" being the period slang for unscrupulous lawyers who exploited clients. The cartoon advocates for legal reform and cleansing the profession of corruption. The documents scattered on the ground suggest fraudulent legal papers or schemes. The imagery uses classical Justice iconography to suggest that restoring integrity to the legal system is a fundamental civic duty. This reflects late 19th/early 20th-century American concerns about professional ethics and reform movements targeting institutional corruption.