The Wasp — 1879 — page 292: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical engraving depicts a busy harbor scene showing the importation of various goods into what appears to be an American port. The cartoon critiques trade and commercial practices through labeled cargo and personified figures wearing placards marked with different commodities and origin points (visible references to "Havana," "Straw," and various trade goods). The caricatured figures in the foreground—particularly those wearing large circular placards—appear to represent merchants, politicians, or trade interests. The crowded composition with ships, horse-drawn carts, and barrels suggests commentary on commercial excess or corruption in trade practices. Without clearer date identification or additional context from *The Wasp*, the specific political target remains unclear, though the satire likely addresses 19th-century American tariff debates, foreign trade monopolies, or merchant influence on policy.