The Wasp — 1892 — page 415: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon from *The Wasp* mocks an Eastern visitor's reaction to San Francisco's cluttered streets during an election period. The well-dressed man holds his hat to avoid election banners strung overhead while carrying a wastebasket, sarcastically asking what such "decorated" streets represent—"the entrance to a dime museum, or a circus, or the back yard of a tannery?" The satire critiques the visual pollution caused by campaign signage for candidates including Timothy McFadden (running for various offices: Poundmaster, Tax Collector, Sheriff, County Clerk). The cartoon suggests San Francisco's streets are so plastered with election materials they resemble a cluttered carnival or trash heap rather than a respectable city.