The Wasp — 1890 — page 211: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page contains three "market quotations" cartoons mocking California agricultural and business conditions. The top section depicts exaggerated scenarios: "An overstock of watermelons" (a merchant overwhelmed by produce), "Rents low" (a landlord's dejection), and "Eggs brisk" (scrambled commerce). The main text discusses railroad expansion in California and agricultural prospects. It criticizes both the Department of Agriculture and idle "agitators" making false claims about San Francisco starvation while predicting crop failures. The bottom illustration labeled "St. Patrick's Day" shows silhouetted figures in a chaotic procession, captioned "The event of the day—the grand procession!" Overall, the page satirizes California's economic instability, agricultural concerns, and urban labor disputes of the period. The cartoons use exaggerated visual humor to comment on commercial excess and social disorder.