The Wasp — 1893 — page 474: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon titled "A Thanksgiving Tragedy: Or the Terrible Revenge of a Gobbler Who Took Dynamite to Soothe His Woes" uses dark humor to depict a turkey's violent retaliation against humans. The sequential panels show a turkey progressively attacking people—likely farmers or cooks—who presumably intended to slaughter it for Thanksgiving dinner. The final explosive scene depicts the bird's revenge through dynamite, scattering the would-be killers. The satire inverts typical power dynamics: rather than the turkey being victimized for holiday consumption, it becomes the aggressor. This appears to mock either industrial violence of the era, or commentary on Thanksgiving traditions themselves, using anthropomorphized animal revenge as the humorous vehicle for social critique. The tone is deliberately absurdist and darkly comedic.