The Wasp — 1891 — page 234: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon from *The Wasp* critiques what the legislature has enabled or permitted. The image shows a large dragon-like creature (representing vice or corruption) emerging from pool rooms bearing multiple business signs: "S.B. Whitehead and Co. Pool Room," "Nathan Pool Room," "Kingsley's Pool Rooms," "W.T. Barnett Book Makers," and "Obriens Pool Rooms." A crowd of men in suits and hats—representing citizens or lawmakers—gathers before this establishment. The caption "Our Legislature Has Fostered" suggests the cartoon blames elected officials for allowing or encouraging the proliferation of gambling establishments and pool halls, which were viewed as dens of vice and moral corruption in early 20th-century America.