The Wasp — 1889 — page 146: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1889 *Wasp* cartoon satirizes government subsidies to shipping companies. The central well-dressed man appears to be a congressman or government official, while the bound woman represents the U.S. government or taxpayers being exploited. The dialogue reveals the satire's point: Congressman Morrow asks how to free this "pretty lady," and "Old Salt" (the sailor figure) responds that other governments pay shipping lines "liberally" as subsidies. The cartoon criticizes U.S. politicians for considering similar subsidies—essentially wasteful government spending that benefits private steamship companies at public expense. The woman's bondage symbolizes how such subsidies enslave American fiscal resources, making it a critique of corporate welfare and government corruption.