The Wasp — 1890 — page 306: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page combines political commentary with humor. The top section attacks the Democratic Party's racial hypocrisy, arguing that despite enslaving Black Americans and opposing Reconstruction, Democrats now seek Black votes. It references General Clunie's speech defending Chris Buckley, a Democratic politician allegedly guilty of corruption ("plunder"). The cartoons below depict a "Tender-Hearted Stranger" offering a street child stolen meat, establishing ironic contrast between claimed charity and actual exploitation—likely satirizing Democratic claims of supporting the poor while engaging in graft. The "Coffee and Rolls" cartoon (upper left) appears to show a waiter serving customers, likely part of the magazine's satirical commentary on contemporary urban life. The page criticizes Democratic principles as hypocritical and corrupt, a common Republican theme during this Reconstruction-era period.