The Wasp — 1890 — page 157: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page documents a recreational military encampment by Sacramento's First Artillery Regiment, N.G.C. at Santa Cruz—an annual tradition since the 1880s. The illustration captioned "Need for Caution" shows soldiers interacting with civilians, depicting a humorous encounter involving "loose change" and a "bank cashier." The satire targets the mixing of military personnel with the public during these camps. The joke appears to mock soldiers' tendency to spend money freely or be susceptible to petty theft/swindling by civilians. The cartoon presents this as a cautionary scenario—soldiers needed to be careful about their finances when mingling with townspeople during these public military exercises. The accompanying text describes legitimate military activities (drills, band performances, social gatherings) contrasted with this gentle humor about soldier vulnerability to civilian financial schemes.