The Wasp — 1879 — page 734: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes the treatment of working-class bakers in 1880s San Francisco. The central scene shows a baker (center) being confronted by a well-dressed lady and man in what appears to be a modest dwelling. The dialogue reveals the satire: a beggar woman asks for help ("There is a bigger woman, mum"), the lady dismisses her ("Give her a piece of bread"), and the biddy responds cynically ("What on Sunday!"). The title and composition mock the irony of "a day of rest" for bakers—who would typically work grueling hours, especially on Sundays when bread demand was high. The surrounding vignettes (top corners) contrast this reality with leisure activities, emphasizing the disconnect between the baker's actual working conditions and any meaningful day off.