The Wasp — 1880 — page 155: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts two figures in formal 19th-century dress. The larger figure on the left appears to be a politician addressing a smaller, rounder figure on the right. The caption "PIT'S SPEECH" suggests this satirizes a public address, likely by William Pitt (though the specific Pitt and occasion are unclear from this page alone). The exaggerated body language and facial expressions typical of satirical cartoons mock the speaker's rhetoric or pomposity. The cartoon's humor relies on physical caricature—the disparity in the figures' sizes and proportions—to suggest the speaker's importance is inflated or ridiculous. Without additional context about the specific historical moment, the precise target of ridicule remains unclear, though it's clearly political satire aimed at contemporary governance or political figures.