The Wasp — 1894 — page 102: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This six-panel satirical comic depicts a portrait artist's mounting frustration while painting a man's portrait. The sitter begins cheerful ("I feel very shaky this morning"), progresses through increasingly critical self-commentary about his appearance ("Things look upside down to me," "I can't draw a line today," "It's getting worse every touch"), and eventually abandons the effort in despair ("I'll have to give it up"). The final panels show the sitter examining the completed portrait and declaring it "a portrait" — suggesting the artist's struggle actually captured his subject's character perfectly, perhaps implying the sitter's own deteriorating state or unflattering appearance. The subtitle notes the original artwork remains unhung at the Fine Arts Exhibit, reinforcing the joke about artistic failure and rejection.