The Wasp — 1894 — page 551: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon depicts a well-dressed politician standing on a chair while a working-class woman (likely a washerwoman, given the buckets and washing implements) works below him. The caption reads: "Harry up wid them shoes, Lass; I've got an engagement at Windish Hall this afternoon." The satire mocks political hypocrisy and class exploitation. The politician treats the washerwoman as subordinate service help while maintaining social pretenses about attending fancy events. The joke targets how politicians, despite championing democratic values, maintained hierarchical attitudes toward working-class people who served them. The surrounding page contains period advertisements for champagne, tailoring services, and entertainment venues—typical commercial content for *The Wasp*, a San Francisco satirical weekly.