The Wasp — 1890 — page 256: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains several satirical pieces: **"An Anomaly"** attacks a Supervisor Pilaster for attempting to fraudulently claim four dollars by raising a one-dollar bill's denomination. The piece sarcastically highlights the absurdity that while this man faces Federal prosecution, Buckley (likely a corrupt political figure) escaped justice despite far greater financial crimes. **"Nemesis on Four Feet"** describes Judge Sullivan encountering a dog that mimics a pickpocket, stealing his possessions. The satire suggests that even animals instinctively understand larceny—a commentary on widespread corruption. **"A Suggestion"** proposes a museum exhibit featuring a working tornado and Mississippi cyclone, satirizing public fascination with spectacle and disasters while mocking institutional planning failures. The cartoons employ visual exaggeration and anthropomorphism to critique corruption, judicial inconsistency, and societal frivolity.