The Wasp — 1891 — page 475: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This *Wasp* cartoon satirizes why a U.S. President declined to visit Oakland by displaying caricatured "specimens" of Oakland residents—various bearded men labeled as different social types: "Sawmill Army," "Kindergarten," "Base Ball Teams," "Spiritualists," "Prohibitionists," and "Phrenologists." The joke appears to be that Oakland's population consisted of such eccentric, disreputable, or frivolous groups that a sitting President would avoid the city for fear of association. The cartoon mocks Oakland's actual residents through exaggerated facial features and stereotyping. This reflects late-19th-century satirical humor targeting specific cities and their perceived characteristics, using pseudoscientific or social categories to ridicule local populations and institutions.