The Wasp — 1890 — page 189: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This three-panel cartoon depicts a man in formal dress becoming increasingly distracted and disheveled. Panel I shows him standing normally; Panel II shows him looking confused; Panel III shows him knocked down amid chaos and debris. The satire likely comments on careless or inattentive behavior with social/financial consequences. The accompanying article discusses Samuel Merritt, a wealthy Oakland businessman who "lost his best opportunity to identify himself" with major civic enterprises, and mentions Nicholas Luning, a San Francisco millionaire whose money disappeared without public benefit. The cartoon appears to mock absentmindedness in wealthy men—suggesting their inattention to civic duty or financial responsibility leads to personal downfall. The title pairs absent-mindedness (mental negligence) with financial loss.