The Wasp — 1890 — page 127: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon depicts a man laughing while holding what appears to be a property deed or land document. According to the caption "WHAT IS THIS MAN LAUGHING AT?", he's a "Gentle reader, he is the village undertaker and has just read an account of a terrible accident and great loss of life only one mile up the track." The satire is darkly humorous: the undertaker finds professional opportunity in tragedy. When a train accident kills many people, it generates business for his undertaking services—hence his amusement at the disaster report. This reflects Gilded Age cynicism about self-interest and the mercenary nature of certain professions. The joke exposes how some individuals profit from others' misfortunes, a common theme in satirical publications of this era.