The Wasp — 1888 — page 530: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon from *The Wasp* (December 29, 1888) depicts a conflict over water meter billing in San Francisco. The well-dressed man in the top hat (labeled "Howard") represents a water company official defending excessive charges, claiming "figures don't lie." The distressed man on the right (labeled "Owner") disputes inflated bills, asking what the company is doing about false readings. The cartoon satirizes widespread complaints about water meter accuracy and billing fraud. The mechanical meter on the wall appears deliberately complex, suggesting it may be incomprehensible or deliberately designed to overcharge customers. The small dog suggests ordinary citizens are helpless in this dispute. This reflects genuine public anger over utility monopolies' dishonest practices in the Gilded Age.