The Wasp — 1892 — page 377: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The cartoon depicts two caricatured men with exaggerated features in what appears to be a confrontational stance, with one literally grabbing the other's ear. The title "Lend Me Your Ear" is a play on words—suggesting both literal physical coercion and a demand for attention/compliance. The accompanying text discusses political corruption, specifically mentioning "citizens Evans and Sontag" hunting someone's "scalp," and references to fraudulent voter registration and Democratic candidate campaigns. The satire targets the aggressive, coercive nature of late-19th-century American politics, where candidates and political operatives used intimidation and deception to gain advantage. The cartoon ridicules how politicians "grabbed attention" through threats and corrupt practices.