The Wasp — 1892 — page 246: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes San Francisco's Board of Supervisors as incompetent traffic managers. The chaotic street scene depicts supervisors (represented by various figures) attempting to direct a congested flow of wagons, horses, bicycles, and pedestrians in a medieval or fantasy cityscape—but failing spectacularly. Everyone moves in different directions; disorder reigns. The satire suggests that the supervisors cannot effectively manage even basic city infrastructure and traffic. The image implies they're unfit administrators, unable to organize or coordinate essential municipal functions. The text references "hay wagons and swill," indicating this critiques their management of everyday urban commerce and sanitation. This represents typical Gilded Age political satire mocking elected officials' perceived incompetence.