The Wasp — 1891 — page 488: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon comments on a recent robbery at a police property room safe. The caption explains that police officers on watch claimed they were "entirely blameless," attributing the theft to hypnotism. The large bearded figure on the left—likely representing a criminal or hypnotist—dominates smaller uniformed police officers depicted as helpless, entranced subjects. The safe stands open behind them, revealing stolen goods. The satire mocks the police's implausible excuse: rather than admit negligence or corruption, they blamed a supernatural power beyond their control. The cartoon suggests the officers' "hypnotism" claim was absurd cover for either incompetence or complicity in the theft. This reflects 1891 public skepticism toward both police accountability and the era's fascination with mesmerism as pseudoscientific explanation.