The Wasp — 1890 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# The Wasp, January 4, 1890 This political cartoon satirizes California's banking crisis. A military or naval figure (left, labeled "Monte Bank") stands imperiously while two men in business attire appear distressed. One gestures desperately while the other clutches what appears to be a bag labeled "$1,000,000." The caption reads: "HE DON'T THINK IT REAL MONEY—ONLY POLITICAL CAPITAL." The satire mocks the use of political influence rather than actual funds to manage banking crises. The "Monte Bank" reference likely alludes to Monte Bank, a California financial institution involved in controversy. The cartoon suggests that politicians were employing mere political maneuvering and empty promises ("political capital") instead of genuine monetary solutions to stabilize failing banks—a critique of financial mismanagement and political corruption during California's economic turmoil.