The Wasp — 1880 — page 151: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes corrupt San Francisco officials as thieves stealing public resources while children watch. The woman vendor under an umbrella represents the city or its citizens, while the children are literal street urchins—poor youth. The dialogue reveals the satire: officials plan to "make a grab" at city assets ("Auditors Apples and Treasurer's Toy," "Mayor-in-the-Box," "Taffey") while claiming the "old lady" (public treasury) isn't looking. "Frisco" (a character, likely representing law enforcement or accountability) threatens punishment, exposing the officials' hypocrisy—they pose as patriots ("pat-riotic") while committing theft. The cartoon critiques San Francisco municipal corruption and embezzlement during the Gilded Age, when such scandals were common.