The Wasp — March 13, 1880 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "The San Francisco Illustrated Wasp," March 13-14, 1880 **The Cartoon: "A Cool Man Extinguishing a Distinguished Light"** This political satire depicts a bearded man (identity unclear from image alone) calmly snuffing out a candle that has a human head emerging from its flame. The "distinguished light" likely represents a prominent political or social figure being deliberately obscured or eliminated from public prominence. The phrase "cool man" suggests the figure performs this suppression with calculated indifference rather than passion. Without additional context about 1880 San Francisco politics, the specific target remains uncertain, but the cartoon clearly critiques someone in power extinguishing the visibility or influence of another notable person—likely commenting on political corruption, censorship, or the abuse of authority during California's Gilded Age.