The Wasp — June 12, 1880 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Is It King or Idol?" - The Wasp, Page 741 This political cartoon depicts a rat or rat-like creature perched atop an ornate pedestal, surrounded by smaller rats in worshipful poses. The caption "IS IT KING OR IDOL?" questions the nature of the creature's authority. The accompanying text discusses Craig, an undertaker in San Francisco, suggesting the cartoon likely satirizes a prominent local or national figure—possibly a businessman or politician—who commands excessive reverence or cult-like devotion from followers. The image critiques the treatment of this individual as either a legitimate authority (king) or merely an object of irrational worship (idol), implying the devotion is undeserved or absurd. The rat imagery typically symbolized corruption, disease, or parasitic behavior in period satire.