The Wasp — 1879 — page 137: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a four-panel satirical illustrated narrative titled "The Song of Hiawatha: Latest Version" (Part I). The panels depict Native Americans and European settlers/colonists in various scenes—meeting, smoking peace pipes, engaging in conflict, and trading. The satire appears to mock Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 poem "The Song of Hiawatha" by presenting a crude, comedic "alternative version" showing actual colonial interactions: conflict, commerce, and cultural exchange. The panels contrast the poem's romanticized narrative with implied historical realities of settler-Native relations. The accompanying verse captions provide specific details about these interactions, though the exact satirical intent requires understanding both Longfellow's original poem and contemporary attitudes toward Native Americans that The Wasp's audience would have recognized.