The Wasp — 1896 — page 455: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts two figures in conversation, labeled "THEIR KIND." The dialogue reveals the satire's target: wealthy tourists or society people who travel to exotic locations (Moscow is specifically mentioned) purely for social status and novelty. The joke centers on a book one character claims to have written. When asked about it, he dismissively suggests the passenger "had better keep mighty quiet about it," implying the book is embarrassingly bad or plagiarized. The satire mocks a particular social type: people who engage in fashionable activities—writing books, international travel—not from genuine interest but merely to appear cultured and important within their social circles. The cartoon satirizes the pretension and superficiality of wealthy American society in the late 19th/early 20th century.