The Wasp — 1880 — page 111: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes the economic relationship between agricultural abundance and market prices. A wealthy figure on the left (appearing distressed) confronts a large bear—a classical symbol for market decline or economic downturn. The bear guards baskets overflowing with produce and grapes, surrounded by figures in the background carrying additional harvest goods. The satire critiques a counterintuitive economic reality: despite bountiful crops and livestock, farmers and producers face financial ruin. The bear represents bearish market conditions—depressed prices that make abundance economically worthless. The title emphasizes this paradox: excellent harvests coinciding with poor market conditions, leaving producers unable to profit from their own productivity. This likely reflects late-19th-century agricultural economic crises.