The Wasp — 1894 — page 434: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The cartoon depicts a nurse attending to a wounded soldier, illustrating the caption "Japan Worsts China." This references military conflict between Japan and China, likely the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) based on *The Wasp*'s publication period. The satire appears to comment on the human cost of this conflict—showing a casualty requiring medical care. The accompanying dialogue between "Nurse" and "Fond Mother" presents sentimental domestic perspectives on warfare, with the mother's concern contrasting against her son's apparent eagerness to fight. The cartoon likely critiques either Japanese aggression, the glorification of war, or American attitudes toward distant conflicts through this juxtaposition of battlefield consequence and home-front sentiment.