The Wasp — 1892 — page 295: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page attacks aggressive poll tax collection practices. The central theme, stated at the bottom ("YOUR POLL TAX IS DUE"), shows various scenarios of tax collectors pursuing citizens through increasingly absurd and threatening methods. The cartoons depict: - Citizens being hunted, cornered, and intimidated by collectors - A "Tariff Cyclone" scene mocking protectionist economic policy - Tax officials breaking into homes and pursuing people into sewers - References to "break your neck if you want to catch a car" and similar violent language The satire criticizes both the invasive collection tactics and potentially the poll tax itself as an unjust burden on ordinary people. The exaggerated violence suggests the collection process was genuinely perceived as oppressive and predatory by working-class readers.