The Wasp — 1890 — page 175: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes what appears to be Irish-American political patronage and corruption. The title references "the Emerald Path"—a play on Ireland's nickname and suggesting a pathway of favors distributed through ethnic/political networks. The scene shows well-dressed men in suits exchanging money or documents, with one figure prominently displaying what appears to be cash or payment vouchers. The caricatured facial features and exaggerated styling suggest this is mocking a specific political machine or group distributing patronage. Without the complete text, the specific targets remain unclear, but the cartoon criticizes how political favors—jobs, contracts, cash—were allegedly channeled through Irish-American political networks in late 19th/early 20th-century American cities, a common satirical target in *The Wasp*.