The Wasp — 1893 — page 271: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a wordless satirical comic titled "A Tale of Africa (Without Words)" depicting gentlemen in top hats interacting with palm trees and what appear to be monkeys or apes swinging from them. The satire appears to target 19th-century colonial attitudes toward Africa and African people. The visual equation between the animals and the human figures—through parallel positioning and similar physical comedy—suggests racist caricature common to the era. The gentlemen's formal dress contrasts absurdly with their surroundings and predicaments, mocking European colonial pretensions. Without specific historical context identifying *The Wasp's* publication date and particular African colonial situations being referenced, the precise satirical target remains unclear, though the racist stereotyping is unmistakable to modern viewers.