The Wasp — 1891 — page 462: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes **Farmer Phelps of the Custom House**, depicted as an exhausted laborer resting after arduous work. The figure wears a wide-brimmed hat labeled "Phelps" and holds a cane, standing amid agricultural produce (vegetables with faces) and a rural landscape with a custom house building visible. The caption's dialogue—"Well, I guess nineteen in one day is enough. I'll take a rest"—suggests Phelps performed nineteen tasks or actions in a single day, apparently related to his custom house duties. The satire likely critiques either his work ethic, inefficiency, or the demands placed on him by his position. The cartoon mocks Phelps as a worn-out official, unable to sustain productivity—a commentary on San Francisco's political administration circa 1891.