The Wasp — 1890 — page 25: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical illustration depicts the 1918 influenza pandemic as a skeletal death figure looming over humanity. The central image shows a skull-faced specter wrapped in cloth, embodying the "Spanish flu" that killed millions globally. Surrounding this central figure are smaller vignettes showing various responses to the crisis: people fleeing in panic, healthcare workers treating the sick, families grieving, and what appear to be merchants or profiteers taking advantage of the crisis. The cartoon satirizes both the terror the pandemic inspired and society's varied—sometimes opportunistic—reactions to mass death. The title's reference to "La Grippe" (French for influenza) emphasizes the disease's global reach, mocking pretensions that it was purely foreign or regional.