The Wasp — 1879 — page 360: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a confrontation between two men over what appears to be financial corruption or embezzlement. The standing figure wields a large scythe or blade menacingly over a crouching man labeled "SUB" (likely "subordinate"). Documents marked "FRAUD" are visible, and coins scatter across the ground. The surrounding flowering plants with dollar signs suggest wealth and prosperity being destroyed or contested. The title "CAUGHT" indicates exposure of wrongdoing. Without additional context about 1879 San Francisco politics, the specific identities remain unclear, but this appears to satirize corruption within a subordinate government or business position being discovered and confronted, likely referencing a contemporary scandal the magazine's readers would have recognized.