The Wasp — 1896 — page 382: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains a serialized story titled "The Wasp: Our Story" with three illustrated sections: "Young Kilgore's Wooing," "Mama was Violently Opposed to the Match," and "Esmeralda was to a Fiesta Queen." The narrative appears to be a romantic comedy about courtship obstacles, focusing on a young man named George Washington Kilgore pursuing a lady despite her mother's opposition. The mother's disapproval and family conflicts drive the plot. The right column features period advertisements (Peruvian Bitters, Old Bourbon whisky, gum, and creamery products) typical of late 19th-century magazines. The illustrations use caricatured figures standard to satirical publications of the era. Without additional context about The Wasp's specific satirical targets, the social commentary appears directed at courtship customs and family dynamics rather than explicit political satire.