The Wasp — 1889 — page 46: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This *Wasp* cartoon from July 20, 1889 satirizes the Grand Jury's practices through the metaphor of "whitewashing"—covering up or concealing wrongdoing. The image shows two men: one stands formally on the left (appearing to supervise), while another actively applies whitewash to a goat on the right, with buckets nearby. The caption reads "THE GRAND JURY APPLYING ITS USUAL COAT OF WHITEWASH." The satire suggests that San Francisco's Grand Jury systematically concealed or exonerated wrongdoers rather than pursuing genuine justice. The goat likely represents corruption or guilty parties being deliberately obscured from accountability. By depicting whitewashing as the jury's "usual" practice, the cartoon criticizes what it presents as systematic corruption or malfeasance in the judicial system.