The Wasp — 1893 — page 209: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon from *The Wasp* depicts a muscular figure standing on a pedestal labeled "NOT A FRIEND ON EARTH." The title and caption explain the joke: "Now that the pugilist has been made an outlaw, all kinds and conditions of men shake their fists at him." The cartoon shows various men in Victorian dress (businessmen, workers, gentlemen) surrounding the central figure with hostile gestures. A scoreboard on the left lists boxing-related terms, suggesting the central figure is a prizefighter or "pugilist." The satire critiques how a boxer, once a public spectacle and possibly celebrated, becomes universally despised after being legally outlawed. The cartoon illustrates the swift reversal of fortune and public opinion when boxing (which was illegal in many jurisdictions during this period) faced legal prohibition.