The Wasp — 1894 — page 429: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes pretentious art collecting and connoisseurship. Miss Presidio de Huth, identified as "a local art connoisseur and patron of deserving paint shops," displays a painting of a wasp to two curious gentlemen. The joke centers on a dispute over authenticity: one character (Mr. Joullong) questions whether they actually bought this artwork from the "Jabes Swab sale," while Mr. Joullong (described as "one of those curious local artists") expresses exaggerated amazement at the painting's supposed value, sarcastically asking "Where's the cart?" The satire mocks San Francisco's emerging art market and wealthy collectors' susceptibility to dubious or overpriced acquisitions—particularly suggesting local dealers may be exploiting gullible patrons by passing off mediocre work as valuable treasures.