The Wasp — 1881 — page 15: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This article and accompanying illustrations document conditions in San Francisco's Chinatown opium dens during the late 19th century. The text describes squalid underground spaces where opium smokers—including white women and boys—gather despite legal prohibitions. The satirical point targets Chinatown's role as a vice district tolerated by authorities. Illustrations show emaciated smokers in cramped "heavens" (tiered sleeping alcoves), gambling houses, and the human cost of addiction. The article notes that while Chinese residents face arrest for opium violations, wealthier white patrons frequenting these dens escape prosecution. The satire critiques San Francisco's hypocritical enforcement of drug laws and the city's complicity in maintaining such "filthy" establishments while publicly condemning them.