The Wasp — 1888 — page 488: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes the 1888 presidential nomination process. The title "The Cart Before the Horse" is a visual pun: a figure labeled "FREE TRADE" pulls a cart carrying a bearded man holding a "NOMINATION" flag, while a horse (representing normal procedure) is harnessed backwards in front. The satire suggests that the Democratic Party's free-trade platform is driving the nomination process rather than the candidate's merits determining the platform. The White House visible in the background emphasizes this is about presidential politics. The bearded figure appears to represent a specific candidate, likely President Grover Cleveland (who supported free trade), though the cartoon critiques how policy priorities have inverted the natural order of political decision-making.