The Wasp — 1888 — page 310: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This October 1888 cartoon satirizes California's emerging raisin industry attempting to export to Europe. The central image shows a man labeled "GEO. MEADE" waving a California raisin flag while confronting a large Spanish bull—representing European (particularly Spanish) resistance or hostility to California's agricultural competition. The upper panel depicts various European powers (England, Pope, Austria, Germany, Russia, Bulgaria) watching from above, seemingly amused or concerned about this commercial conflict. The satire mocks California's audacious attempt to penetrate established European agricultural markets, suggesting the effort is naively confrontational—like waving a flag at a dangerous bull. The cartoon reflects late-19th-century anxieties about international trade competition and California's growing agricultural ambitions challenging European economic dominance.