The Wasp — 1896 — page 172: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is primarily a title page and masthead for *The Wasp*, "the oldest cartoon paper in colors in the United States" (established 1876). The decorative header features a large wasp and satirical notices claiming it's "the leading weekly" on the Pacific Coast with "largest circulation." The page includes subscription information and several brief editorial items, not full cartoons. The text discusses various political and social topics of 1896—Democratic party pride, Golden Gate Park statuary, Cleveland's fishing record, and labor disputes. One item criticizes white workers' discrimination against Japanese laborers. The layout is typical of 19th-century newspapers: dense text with decorative typography rather than prominent visual cartoons.