The Wasp — 1888 — page 332: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon from *The Wasp* (April 28, 1888) mocks spiritualism—the period's popular belief in communicating with the dead through séances. The central figure, a frenzied man in formal dress, appears to be a spiritualist medium or charlatan juggling various props of his "trade": floating objects, a hat, and what appear to be magical implements scattered about. His wild expression and chaotic gestures suggest either fraudulent trickery or madness. The title's judgment—"hopeless"—indicates the cartoonist's skepticism toward spiritualism itself, portraying it as either delusional nonsense or outright con artistry. The exaggerated caricature ridicules both the practitioners and believers in this supernatural movement, which was widespread among the American middle class during the late 19th century.