The Wasp — February 7, 1880 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* presents five portraits of San Francisco officials arranged hierarchically, with John Lutherel Murphy (City & County Attorney) prominently centered. Below him are four subordinates: W.R. Shaber (Treasurer), J.D. Connelly (Justice of the Peace), B.A. Reynolds (Public Administrator), and O.H. Tillson (Tax Collector). The layout suggests these were likely targets of *The Wasp*'s satirical commentary—probably regarding political corruption, mismanagement, or incompetence in local government. Without additional article text, the specific charges remain unclear, but the prominence given to these officials indicates they were newsworthy figures in San Francisco politics at the time of publication. The magazine was known for muckraking local governance.