The Wasp — 1893 — page 198: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1893 *Wasp* cartoon satirizes the economic panic gripping America. A well-dressed capitalist or banker sits in an office marked "ALL BUSINESS SUSPENDED" and "NO MONEY LOANED ON ANY SECURITY," smoking and appearing indifferent to the crisis. Through the window, a starving figure holds signs reading "MUST HAVE BREAD," "OUT OF WORK," "FACTORIES CLOSED," and "UNEMPLOYED BRITISH POLICIES." The cartoon's caption claims "the key of the said situation [is] securely located in the pants pockets of our representative and patriotic bankers"—blaming financial elites for hoarding resources while ordinary citizens suffer unemployment and hunger. This reflects the 1893 Depression's devastating impact and public anger at bankers' perceived callousness toward working people.