The Wasp — 1896 — page 203: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising** for San Francisco businesses (banks, breweries, typewriters, flour) with one central cartoon labeled "IN THE LAUNDRY." The cartoon depicts two figures in what appears to be a laundry setting. The accompanying text reads: "Miss Moore—'Well my dear, I've never seen a gentleman without his collar.' / Miss Boggs—'Reason enough. He wears them india-rubber collars, won't don't want to mention.'" This is a **social satire about class and personal hygiene**. The joke ridicules a gentleman of apparently dubious cleanliness who wears rubber collars—likely because they're cheap, washable substitutes for proper linen collars. The implication is that he cannot afford or maintain genuine gentleman's attire, making him a fraudulent social climber. The laundry setting emphasizes this commentary on false respectability.