The Wasp — 1894 — page 342: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This six-panel comic depicts a conversation between two men in formal attire, illustrating a humorous anecdote about San Francisco's Chinese community. The narrative, titled "Won Lung's Comments" and credited to the "Chinatown Journal of Culture," uses heavy dialect to relate a story about a mandarin and various Chinese laborers (referred to as "coolies" and "piecemen") engaged in a lottery scheme. The satire appears to mock both the gambling culture and the exploitative labor relationships within San Francisco's Chinatown during this era. The repeated phrase "pieceman" and references to lottery tickets suggest commentary on both economic vulnerability and vice. The comic relies on period-typical ethnic stereotyping and caricature for comedic effect, reflecting contemporary American attitudes toward Chinese immigrants.