The Wasp — 1889 — page 244: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1889 *Wasp* cartoon satirizes Chinese immigration circumventing U.S. restrictions. The image shows caricatured figures at a dock labeled "U.S." with ships in background. A Chinese figure appears to be sneaking through a "back door" while officials (wearing hats marked with national symbols) stand guard at the formal entrance. The satire critiques how Chinese immigrants were entering America illegally via Canada's northern border, bypassing the Chinese Exclusion Act (passed 1882). The "wily Chinese" figure embodies xenophobic stereotypes prevalent in 1880s America, while the cartoon suggests government enforcement failures. The harbor setting emphasizes smuggling routes and illegal entry methods during this period of intense anti-Chinese sentiment on the West Coast.