The Wasp — 1890 — page 166: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1890 *Wasp* cartoon celebrates California's citrus industry dominance. On the left, an elderly prospector or miner (likely representing an older California industry) holds a bag labeled with Southern California cities: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, Pasadena, and Anaheim. On the right stands "Southern California" personified as an elegant woman wearing ornate dress and headpiece, representing the region's prosperity and desirability. The cartoon's message, emphasized by the subtitle "California Triumphs Over All Competitors," promotes Southern California's citrus production as superior to competing agricultural regions. The contrast between the old prospector and the idealized woman symbolizes a shift from mining toward agricultural wealth as California's economic future. This reflects 1890s boosterism for the citrus industry's rapid growth.