The Wasp — 1877 — page 152: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts "The Editor at Work" and "A Hint on the Chinese Question." The central figure shows an editor (likely Col. Hinton, identified in the masthead as editor) laboring over a document while chaos erupts around him. The scene satirizes the editorial process during a period of intense anti-Chinese sentiment in 1870s California. The "Chinese Question" refers to heated debates over Chinese immigration policy. The cartoon appears to mock how editors sensationalized or manipulated coverage of this contentious issue—showing the editor surrounded by turmoil, possibly suggesting the inflammatory nature of editorial commentary on Chinese immigration that dominated San Francisco journalism of this era. The domestic chaos in the background reinforces the satirical point about journalistic influence on public sentiment.