The Wasp — 1879 — page 423: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon mocks San Francisco's high society by depicting a statue of a grotesquely contorted figure atop a pedestal, surrounded by working-class people and children. The caption reads "A New Rendezvous for the Crème of Society." The joke references Lotta's Fountain, a real San Francisco landmark (still standing today). The exaggerated, ugly statue parodies how elite society claims cultural refinement while the crude monument becomes a gathering place for ordinary citizens. The cartoon satirizes the gap between society's pretensions and reality—fashionable people celebrate this absurd public art while working-class folks use it as an actual social hub. The dangling laundry in the background emphasizes the lower-class setting, sharpening the satire's critique of class pretension.