The Wasp — 1877 — page 269: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes various working-class occupations in San Francisco, using "Jehus" (biblical reference to reckless charioteers) as a mocking umbrella term. Each illustration ridicules a specific profession: - **Bob tail car driver**: Overworked, managing brake and lines simultaneously - **Butcher's boy**: Underpaid despite slaughtering thousands daily - **Dump-cart man**: Described as "evil genius" of street driving - **Beer wagon conductor**: Judges liquor quality and cigars - **Nob Hill coachman**: Maintains composure despite indignity - **Engine driver**: Wild, reckless, broken-boned but life-loving - **Excavator**: Dignified despite foul-smelling work - **"Last scene of all"**: Final image suggests occupational toll and despair The satire critiques exploitative working conditions and low wages for manual laborers.