The Wasp — 1881 — page 111: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains satirical commentary on contemporary American figures and issues rather than sequential cartoons. **Key Content:** The main cartoon depicts a figure labeled "P——" (likely a public figure whose name is partially obscured), described as "a very irrascible old gentleman" serving as spokesman for a class that "has neither numbers nor influence." The satire criticizes his attitude toward foreigners—specifically his contempt for foreign immigration and his hypocrisy in condemning foreign vagrants while accepting American ones. **Political Point:** The piece targets anti-immigrant sentiment, mocking those who blame foreigners for social problems while ignoring comparable domestic issues. The cartoon suggests such prejudice is both logically inconsistent and socially harmful, using this unnamed gentleman as a representative example of xenophobic attitudes prevalent in 1880s California. The satirical tone emphasizes the absurdity of selective moral outrage.