The Wasp — 1894 — page 375: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features a satirical cartoon titled "SUSPICIOUSLY FAMILIAR" showing a police magistrate questioning a prisoner. The humor centers on the magistrate claiming this isn't the prisoner's first arrest for drunkenness. The prisoner retorts that the magistrate is "the new bartender at Mickey Doolan's," suggesting the magistrate himself frequents bars and should hardly judge drunkenness. The satire targets hypocrisy—specifically, law enforcement officials who prosecute vice while privately engaging in it. By identifying the magistrate as a bartender customer, the cartoon implies corruption or moral inconsistency among those charged with enforcing laws against alcohol consumption, likely reflecting Progressive Era concerns about judicial integrity and selective law enforcement in San Francisco.