The Wasp — 1890 — page 188: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from the satirical magazine discusses San Francisco's economic crisis and labor unrest. The top cartoon depicts "Eva" (Lady Liberty) with a stork delivering "little Jew boys and girls"—an antisemitic trope blaming Jewish immigrants for social problems. The text criticizes labor agitation threatening California's economy, defends English propriety against Russian nihilism, and mocks a suicide attempt by an English lodger. It references Tom Cunningham's congressional efforts and attacks the "Examiner" newspaper's coverage of the Peek House incident. The bottom illustration shows a police surgery scene with a doctor explaining neck wounds—likely mocking contemporary crime or violence in San Francisco. The overall tone combines nativism, antisemitism, and conservative politics typical of 1890s American satire.