The Wasp — 1896 — page 1014: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is primarily the masthead and editorial introduction for The Wasp's Christmas 1896 issue, not a political cartoon page. The header features the magazine's logo with a large wasp and decorative border, identifying it as "the oldest colored-print cartoon paper in America" established 1876. The editorial defends The Wasp's editorial choice to exclude Santa Claus from this Christmas issue's illustrations. The editors argue Santa is a "conventional" stereotype unsuited to their California focus. Instead, they emphasize publishing photographs of San Francisco and Golden Gate Park to showcase the region's natural beauty and climate to Eastern readers unfamiliar with California—positioning The Wasp as promoting Western scenery over tired holiday conventions.