The Wasp — 1891 — page 504: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon tracks a political movement's decline over several months. It shows a parade of figures diminishing in size and enthusiasm from June 1891 through November 1892, ending at a desolate landscape with a flag-bearing pole. The caricatured figures on the left appear to represent political leaders or activists who initially gathered with energy and purpose ("The Great Party"). As time progresses rightward, fewer people remain, their postures become increasingly dejected, and they're positioned before an abandoned settlement—suggesting the movement's collapse or migration. The "Great Party" likely references a specific 1891-92 political movement or coalition that failed to maintain support. Without identifying the exact figures, the cartoon's message is clear: initial political momentum gave way to desertion and failure.