The Wasp — 1881 — page 50: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1891 satirical cartoon depicts a disheveled, multi-armed figure driving a horse-drawn market wagon, illustrating the caption's ironic quote: "Men may come, and men may go, / But I drive on for ever." The cartoon satirizes **San Francisco's streetcar/cable car drivers** as permanent, immovable public fixtures—indispensable yet seemingly uncontrollable. The exaggerated multiple arms suggest they manage numerous tasks simultaneously (reins, brake, conducting passengers). The figure's wild appearance and the chaos of the scene mock their reputation for recklessness or incompetence. The inset shows an orderly cable car for contrast, emphasizing that regular transit operates smoothly—unlike this caricatured private market wagon driver, who represents an obstacle to progress and public order.