The Wasp — 1890 — page 125: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon from *The Wasp* depicts two men discussing "the single-tax theory." The caption identifies them as **Henry George** (seated, in top hat) and **Nicholas Luning** (standing). The satire concerns **Henry George's single-tax proposal**—a late 19th-century economic theory advocating a single tax on land values rather than multiple taxes. Luning's quoted response ("I agree with you as far as you go, but I would...") suggests qualified or partial agreement, implying the theory was debated and critiqued even among those who saw merit in it. The cartoon mocks the complexity and compromise inherent in discussing such radical economic reform, presenting it as salon conversation between gentlemen while suggesting practical disagreement persists.