The Wasp — June 19, 1880 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Bakers' Day of Rest" This satirical cartoon critiques bakers' working conditions in 1880 San Francisco. The main illustration shows a baker (left) and what appears to be a baker's wife or family member dining with a well-dressed clergyman in a cramped, circular space—likely representing a baker's modest home or workspace. The dialogue suggests irony: the clergyman asks about "a beggar woman," the baker requests "a piece of bread," and the clergyman responds "What on Sunday?" The humor appears to target how religious authorities preached rest and charity while bakers—among the most exploited workers—labored continuously, even on Sundays, with little food or leisure time. The title "The Bakers' Day of Rest" reinforces this bitter irony.