The Wasp — 1891 — page 266: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a figure labeled "Stanley" standing triumphantly amid Asian imagery and architectural elements suggesting Chinatown. The caption references Stanley having "just explored 'Darkest Chinatown'" and compares this to Henry Morton Stanley's famous African expedition, claiming that Chinatown "beats the record! Central Africa is nowhere!" The satire mocks both Stanley's celebrity African exploration and contemporary American anxieties about Chinese immigrants in San Francisco. By equating Chinatown with "Darkest Africa," the cartoon expresses the period's xenophobic sentiment—treating the Chinese immigrant neighborhood as a foreign, dangerous, and exotic threat comparable to unexplored wilderness. The "phew!" caption suggests disgust or relief at returning from this "exploration."