The Wasp — 1891 — page 218: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts three men of different social classes encountering each other on a street. The dialogue reveals a class-based satire: a wealthy man remarks to his companion that they've met "an old block," implying the third figure is of low social standing or disreputable character. The poor man responds by claiming to be "head of the family," prompting the wealthy man's pointed observation that this "accounts for ma's telling the minister that you was an 'old blockhead.'" The satire targets class prejudice and the hypocrisy of genteel society judging working-class people. The joke hinges on mockery of the poor man's family and intellect, reflecting turn-of-the-century attitudes toward economic status as moral or intellectual markers. The cartoon illustrates how the upper classes dehumanized and ridiculed those beneath them.