The Wasp — 1879 — page 260: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This April 1879 *San Francisco Illustrated Wasp* cartoon depicts a man in formal dress being pelted with objects labeled "POLICE," "MURDER," "PRICE," and "MARDER" [sic], while a figure labeled "HAMBURG BARKER" tries to escape at left. The cartoon satirizes chaos surrounding a new constitutional issue, likely California's 1879 state constitution. The well-dressed central figure appears to represent either a political leader or the state itself, bombarded by public complaints and crimes. The "Hamburg Barker" reference suggests German immigrant involvement in the debate, reflecting 19th-century nativist anxieties. The title's question—"What about the new Constitution?"—implies the cartoon criticizes how political promises about constitutional reform failed to address actual social problems: police brutality, murders, and economic hardship ("price").