The Wasp — 1914 — page 317: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily text narrative rather than a cartoon. It describes a character named James Burnham (or "Mr. Fitzwalter") who has disguised himself as a hunchbacked beggar using an artificial hump, black eye patch, and scratch-wig. Upon returning to his native land, Burnham removes these disguises, reveals his true identity through the heraldic device of the Burnhams family, and dresses in fine silk and linen. He then visits a tailor to commission an elaborate outfit befitting a court dandy. The satire appears to mock social pretense and the artificiality of class distinction—suggesting that appearance and costume can completely transform one's perceived social status. The text implies commentary on vanity and the performative nature of aristocratic identity in this period.