The Wasp — 1877 — page 79: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This illustration depicts the 1877 Nez Percé War. The central circular vignette shows the Native American tribe's retreat through mountainous Idaho terrain with horses, wagons, and soldiers. The decorative borders feature military figures—likely U.S. cavalry and Nez Percé warriors—suggesting conflict between the two sides. The page title references the campaign led by Chief Joseph, when the Nez Percé were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and fled toward Canada. The illustration's romanticized style was typical of period journalism depicting frontier conflicts. For modern readers: this documents a pivotal moment in Native American dispossession—presented here as dramatic spectacle rather than tragedy—when U.S. military campaigns displaced indigenous peoples during westward expansion.