The Wasp — 1892 — page 345: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a striking contrast: a well-dressed businessman on the right (likely representing merchant interests or city leadership) gestures dismissively toward a massive crowd of workers in the street below, holding signs reading "CLOSED" across various trades—shoemakers, cigar makers, iron molders, and building trades. The cartoon critiques how San Francisco merchants were treating striking workers. The elevated position of the businessman versus the crowded, struggling workers below emphasizes the power imbalance. The repeated "CLOSED" signs suggest widespread labor unrest affecting multiple industries simultaneously, likely from the 1890s-early 1900s labor movement era. The satire suggests merchants bore responsibility for labor conflicts through their own mistreatment of workers.