The Wasp — 1888 — page 545: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts two men (identified in the caption as representatives of Republican and Democratic committees) confronting a wasp-headed figure labeled "WASP" standing on a box. Both men point accusatory fingers at the wasp while the caption reveals their hypocrisy: each claims the other committed fraud ("You did it"), but the wasp cuts through their mutual finger-pointing by declaring "You both did it—all you dared." The satire targets corrupt political machines from both major parties, suggesting that Republicans and Democratic operatives were equally guilty of electoral fraud and misconduct. The wasp represents independent or reform-minded scrutiny exposing widespread corruption transcending party lines—a common theme in late 19th-century American political satire.