The Wasp — 1893 — page 421: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains editorial commentary and a poem titled "Guizot's Gibbon" about a Roman circus spectacle in San Francisco. The poem satirizes the decadence and excess of Roman entertainment, drawing parallels to contemporary San Francisco society. The illustration labeled "Taking It Cool" (bottom right) shows a man in period dress, likely representing a character from the narrative. The accompanying text discusses various circus performances, slave labor, and Roman imperial excess. The editorial section references Uncle Sam's "unpleasant dilemma" regarding the Mongolian question and Chinese immigration—a significant 1870s-1880s political controversy. The cartoons appear to use historical Roman parallels as commentary on current American social issues, particularly concerns about labor exploitation and imperial overreach.