The Wasp — 1889 — page 434: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts opposition to Prohibition legislation. The central figure on the platform holds a sign reading "THE HOODLUM PLEASE! PROHIBIT DUDES," while various caricatured men below—appearing to represent politicians, judges, and social figures—hold prohibition-related signs and documents. The satire suggests that Prohibition advocates are themselves the real "hoodlums," using derogatory caricatures (exaggerated facial features typical of 19th-century satirical art) to mock supporters of alcohol bans. A woman on the left appears to represent moral reformers pushing the agenda. The cartoon ridicules Prohibition as a misguided policy that would create disorder rather than prevent it, reflecting anti-Prohibition sentiment common in American satirical press before alcohol's ban in 1920.