The Wasp — 1889 — page 282: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts two bearded men in 19th-century dress. The figure on the left, identified as Bismarck (the former German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck) by the caption, wears a top hat and striped trousers. The military figure on the right, labeled "Brudder Jonathan" (Uncle Sam), holds a goat—the "scape-goat" of the title. The caption reads: "It was all that fellow's fault, Brudder Jonathan. Let us be friends." The cartoon satirizes how world powers blamed Bismarck for international conflicts, treating him as a convenient scapegoat while conveniently reconciling with each other afterward. The goat symbolizes the blame being shifted rather than genuine resolution of tensions between nations.