The Wasp — 1889 — page 145: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon titled "The Joker Makes His Appearance Once More" depicts several caricatured figures struggling to balance wooden planks labeled with legislation: "America," "Scott's Exclusion Act," and "Union Act." A woman's head emerges from the top plank, labeled "Non Admittance to Merchants' Wives Arriving the First Time." The cartoon appears to satirize competing political interests and trade restrictions of the era. The figures seem to represent different political factions attempting to maintain unstable legislative compromises. The woman's exclusion likely references discriminatory policies affecting merchants' wives, possibly related to Chinese Exclusion Act-era restrictions. The overall metaphor suggests political chaos—the "joker" disrupting careful legal balancing acts. Without The Wasp's publication date visible, the specific legislative moment remains unclear, though the Chinese Exclusion context seems likely.