The Wasp — 1890 — page 173: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes police management of crowds during performances by the famous opera singer Adelina Patti. The sketch shows officers struggling to control an enthusiastic mob of spectators pushing and gathering outside the venue. The accompanying text discusses how society's leaders should investigate charges against police behavior during these events, referencing Editor Dargie's paper and Alfred Greenway's critique. The satire suggests police are either ineffective at crowd control or overly aggressive in "keeping back the crowd." The cartoon mocks both the unruly public passion for Patti's performances and the police inability to manage them professionally—a commentary on San Francisco's social disorder and inadequate public safety management during the 1880s.