The Wasp — 1892 — page 235: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page presents various scenarios where hypnotism serves as a convenient excuse for questionable behavior. Each vignette—"The Milkman," "The Patent Medicine Artist," "The Favorite Jockey," "The Cashier," "The Champion Prize Fighter," and others—depicts professionals or workers engaging in misconduct (watering milk, fraud, corruption, theft, fixed fights). The page's title suggests hypnotism as a humorous scapegoat: implying these individuals could claim supernatural influence rather than personal responsibility. Given The Wasp's satirical nature, this likely critiques late-19th/early-20th-century American society's widespread fraud, corruption, and unethical practices across multiple professions. The repetition underscores how pervasive such dishonesty was—and how absurd any collective excuse would be.