The Wasp — 1892 — page 385: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This engraving depicts a woman in classical dress (representing California or Liberty) bound in chains labeled "COMPARATIVE EXCLUSION LAW" while chained to a rock. She gazes upward in anguish. The satire critiques New England's religious and social conservatism as oppressive to California's progressive values. The "Comparative Exclusion Law" likely references discriminatory legislation—possibly anti-Chinese or anti-immigrant laws that The Wasp opposed, or religious exclusionary practices The Wasp associated with New England Puritanism. The classical female figure symbolizes California's freedom being constrained by Eastern, specifically New England, moral rigidity and exclusionary policies. The imagery suggests The Wasp viewed such restrictions as unjust persecution incompatible with California's more liberal character.