The Wasp — 1894 — page 172: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains political satire attacking Democratic Party nominee **Stockton Budd** during what appears to be a late 19th-century campaign. The cartoons mock Budd as incompetent and associated with political corruption ("Product of that town of mud"). One illustration shows him hiding under a barrel labeled "My Barrel" while strikers seek him—suggesting cowardice during labor unrest. Another depicts "The Editor's Dream," apparently showing Murphy (possibly a local politician) diminished and defeated. The "Not a Champagne Year" cartoon satirizes economic hardship under Democratic leadership, with beer replacing champagne as a symbol of reduced prosperity. The page uses exaggerated caricature, visual metaphor, and wordplay typical of partisan satirical magazines of this era, attacking the nominee's character and competence.