The Wasp — 1894 — page 435: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page combines serialized fiction ("Old Maid's Diary") with satirical cartoons. The main cartoon section, titled "A Study in Police Expression," depicts four caricatured faces wearing bowler hats, labeled as interactions with street vendors: "Passing the 'Dairy Lunch Owner,'" "While assisting the pretty 'Type-writer' across the street," "Addressing the 'Apple Woman,'" "Saluting the 'Mayor,'" and "Remonstrating with the 'Organ-Grinder.'" The satire appears to mock how police officers adjust their expressions and behavior depending on whom they encounter—being friendly with vendors and women, respectful to authority figures like mayors, but confrontational with street musicians. This critiques police inconsistency and suggests corruption or favoritism in public interactions rather than uniform, principled conduct.