The Wasp — 1879 — page 789: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts European emigrants being lured to California through deceptive advertising. The billboard promises cheap lands in Kansas, Nebraska, Arizona, and Utah—locations far from California itself. The figures, drawn in caricatured ethnic styles typical of the era, carry their belongings as they crowd near a harbor with ships visible in the background. The satire criticizes California's recruitment tactics: the state advertised opportunities elsewhere to attract settlers, apparently misleading European immigrants about their actual destination. The title "California's Inducement" suggests irony—California attracts people through false promises about other locations. This reflects late 19th/early 20th-century concerns about deceptive immigration promotion and labor recruitment practices.