The Wasp — 1890 — page 276: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a circus-like scene where a small child figure labeled "RING" attempts to reach a high platform. Above, grotesque caricatured figures (appearing to represent wealthy industrialists or politicians) sit elevated on an elephant, while crowds below hold banners reading "HURRAH FOR EVERYTHING," "FREE TRADE," and "PROTECTION FOR HIP HIP HURRAH." The right side shows "BUCKLEY'S INFERNO," suggesting damnation or moral corruption. The cartoon satirizes economic inequality and contradictory political rhetoric—the masses cheer slogans about free trade and protection while powerful elites remain unreachably distant. The child's impossible reach symbolizes the working class's inability to access prosperity promised by competing political factions.