The Wasp — 1879 — page 47: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This engraving depicts a well-dressed woman in classical allegorical style (likely representing California or a virtue like Progress) gesturing commandingly toward dogs and cherubs below. The woman wears a banner reading "CALIFORNI[A]" and holds what appears to be a harvest basket, suggesting agricultural abundance. The letters "P U B L O M" visible in the fruit tree above likely spell out a word or reference unclear from this image alone. The classical setting with fruit trees and idealized female figure suggests this satirizes California's promised prosperity or resource wealth. The dogs and small cherubs appear subordinate or servile to this authoritative female figure, possibly critiquing power dynamics or colonial/exploitative relationships within California's development during *The Wasp*'s publication period (1870s-1880s).