The Wasp — 1896 — page 115: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon depicts a woman in 19th-century dress holding a bomb, labeled "The Wily Nihilist." The accompanying poem by L.P.F. references Ivan Tabasvovanitovich, describing nihilists as destructive forces who will eventually be defeated ("blossom as the rose"). This appears to satirize contemporary anxieties about nihilism and anarchism—political movements associated with violence and bomb-throwing. The feminized figure may mock radical women activists or play on period stereotypes linking women's emancipation to revolutionary danger. The cartoon likely responds to actual anarchist bombings or assassination attempts prominent in the 1880s-90s. The poem's mocking tone suggests The Wasp dismisses these threats as ultimately futile, positioning the publication as defending established order against radical upheaval.