The Wasp — 1879 — page 551: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The cartoon depicts two disheveled figures being escorted or thrown out, illustrating the article's discussion of legal cases involving what the text calls "human trash"—people of low social standing involved in crimes and scandals. The article catalogs various criminal cases: theft, drunkenness, embezzlement, and conspiracy charges against individuals with names like Frank Lawlor, Daniel Harrigan, and James Walsh. The satire targets both the criminals themselves and the legal system's handling of such cases. The title suggests these individuals deserve to be cast out to "deserts" (exiled/removed from society). This reflects late 19th-century attitudes viewing poverty and criminality as moral failings deserving harsh punishment rather than rehabilitation—a social Darwinist perspective typical of The Wasp's satirical commentary.