The Wasp — October 18, 1879 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "The Illustrated Wasp" Page 196 This page contains satirical commentary on urban labor and class relations rather than a single political cartoon. The main illustrated panels show: 1. **A cigar stand scene** (lower left): Depicts working-class commerce and the "ten-center" barber shops mentioned in the text—establishments offering cheap services to poorer customers. 2. **Street scenes** (right side): Show working-class figures and social interactions. The accompanying text mocks the pretensions of civility among different social classes while describing the economic struggles of laborers—boot-makers, barbers, and ranch workers. It satirizes how workers rationalize poor wages and exploitative conditions, suggesting they accept low pay ($40/month, ten-cent haircuts) as inevitable. The humor targets both the exploitative system and workers' resigned acceptance of it.