The Wasp — 1890 — page 308: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes the San Francisco Police Department's handling of unsolved crimes. A caricatured police officer—labeled with a San Francisco Police badge—stands overwhelmed, surrounded by flying insects labeled "Mystery," "Murder," and other crimes. He holds a telescope and appears bewildered. The caption reads: "What's all this buzzing about? There's mystery of mysteries in the air." The satire criticizes the police force for failing to solve or properly investigate criminal cases. The insects represent unsolved mysteries literally "buzzing" around ineffective law enforcement. The officer's confused expression and ineffectual tools (the telescope) mock police incompetence. The cartoon suggests San Francisco's police department was overwhelmed by—or deliberately negligent toward—investigating serious crimes.