The Wasp — 1889 — page 223: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes late 19th-century American anxieties about foreign immigration and diplomacy. The image depicts various caricatured foreign representatives in small boats, apparently being "dispatched" or sent away from American shores. The cartoonist appears to argue sarcastically that America should intimidate or frighten foreign visitors/diplomats to discourage their presence. The flags visible suggest multiple nations involved in what may reference immigration debates or foreign relations disputes of the era. The exaggerated facial features and caricaturing reflect common period prejudices. The cartoon's ironic title suggests the author is critiquing this nativist sentiment rather than endorsing it—proposing such intimidation as absurdly un-American.