The Wasp — 1887 — page 139: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes General Georges Boulanger, a late-19th-century French military figure. The image depicts him as a military officer with exaggerated features, striking heroic poses while juggling multiple objects and holding weapons—suggesting he's playing with serious matters. Above him, three fashionable women with fairy wings appear to admire or support him, likely representing French public opinion or the press that promoted Boulanger as a national hero. The map at his feet shows Paris and Berlin, referencing France-German tensions of the era. The title's ironic tone ("Savior of France") combined with the juggling imagery suggests *The Wasp* is mocking Boulanger as an overblown, reckless figure unfit for the responsibility he claimed—a critique of his political ambitions and public adulation.