The Wasp — 1894 — page 390: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes someone named George, described as "Hobo of the Scorchems Club," who is now employed as "a motorman on the electric road." The joke centers on electric streetcars—a new technology in 1894—suggesting George has obtained a "congenial job" despite his apparent vagrant status. The humor appears to mock both George's social elevation (from hobo to motorman) and perhaps the ease of employment in the emerging electric railway industry. The "Scorchems Club" reference is unclear but may suggest reckless or dangerous behavior. The illustration shows a well-dressed motorman on a bicycle-like contraption, contrasted with a working-class figure, emphasizing the class implications of the joke about finding respectable work in this modern transportation sector.