The Wasp — 1891 — page 106: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The top cartoon depicts two figures at a steamship office. The left figure wears an elaborate hat and holds a ship image, appearing to be a con artist or hustler. The right figure, labeled "Mr. Pinerídez (Petaluma)," sits at a desk looking skeptical. The caption's joke concerns Pinerídez attempting to arrange shipping for produce to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), but the hustler is clearly trying to sell him something dubious. The humor plays on the common 19th-century theme of fast-talking salesmen deceiving gullible rural customers—here, a farmer from Petaluma (a California agricultural region) being pitched unrealistic or fraudulent shipping services. The satire mocks both con artists and their easy marks.