The Wasp — 1887 — page 107: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* (August 6, 1887) is primarily text rather than cartoon. The editorial content addresses several contemporary issues: a New York fire-escape law requiring safer building design; criticism of Oakland's loose licensing for "dives" (saloons/gambling dens) serving as fronts for criminal activity; commentary on a Berkeley burglar's crimes; and satire regarding an American-Chinese bank's questionable practices—suggesting its operators are uneducated and that the bank exists merely as a front for financial manipulation. A brief humorous note mentions two St. Louis women poisoning rats with a plumber's jealousy remedy. The tone throughout is investigative satire targeting regulatory failures and criminal enterprises exploiting urban communities.