The Wasp — 1894 — page 239: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes a contemporary figure (labeled "Max" in the left panel) as a modern version of Orpheus, the mythological musician whose music charmed all creatures. The caricatured Max appears to be a showman or entertainer—possibly a theater producer or conductor—who is "scoring a decided hit" (a theatrical success). The animals on the right (labeled "Harry Wise," "Transformation Andy," and "Tim Trashy") represent apparently well-known entertainment figures or caricatures, drawn as beasts responding to Max's musical prowess like the mythological creatures Orpheus enchanted. The overall joke equates commercial theatrical success with mythological magical power, mocking contemporary show-business pretensions through classical allusion. Without clearer identification of these figures and the specific date, the precise targets remain unclear.