The Wasp — 1892 — page 193: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical comic strip depicts a working-class San Francisco man navigating various city institutions during what appears to be the Progressive Era. The seven panels show him encountering: 1. A closed speakeasy ("Cremorne Closed for Good") 2. Unwelcoming political headquarters 3. Prize-fighting venues with corrupt conditions 4. Religious and electoral polling locations 5. A disreputable bank and police station 6. Finally escaping to Oakland The satire criticizes civic corruption, police misconduct, gambling operations, and institutional hypocrisy. The repeated figure—identifiable by distinctive plaid trousers—represents an ordinary working man systematically shut out from or exploited by every major San Francisco institution. The caption states that "public virtue makes his life a burden," sarcastically suggesting that ostensible reforms have simply displaced vice rather than eliminating it.