The Wasp — 1890 — page 165: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This caricature depicts **Jesse D. Carr** searching for a site to build a San Francisco Post Office. The exaggerated features—elongated beard, prominent nose, rotund body—are typical of 19th-century satirical portraiture used to mock public figures. Carr holds a miniature building model, suggesting he's tasked with locating real estate for the federal post office. The satire likely critiques either: - Difficulty finding suitable property in expensive San Francisco - Carr's competence or progress in this civic project - Political patronage or inefficiency in government construction projects *The Wasp* was known for lampooning San Francisco politicians and public works. Without additional historical context, the specific complaint remains unclear, but the cartoon ridicules Carr's mission as laborious or absurd.