The Wasp — 1879 — page 97: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains two political cartoons criticizing municipal governance and public safety in what appears to be late 19th or early 20th-century San Francisco. **Top panel**: "The Municipalists Safe and Hush" depicts officials as reckless figures riding cannons like a vehicle—suggesting government leaders are dangerous and out of control. **Bottom panel**: "The Reign of Terror" and "The W.P.C. Vigilance Committee in Power" shows chaos on city streets with what appears to be a streetcar, a horse-drawn carriage, and distressed civilians. The satire criticizes either municipal mismanagement or the activities of a Women's Protective Committee (W.P.C.), suggesting their vigilante enforcement created street disorder rather than safety. Both cartoons mock the effectiveness and judgment of those claiming to manage city affairs.