The Wasp — 1896 — page 465: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertisements** for San Francisco businesses (cycles, laundry, watches, grain dealers, etc.), typical of a satirical magazine's revenue model. The only cartoon shows two men in top hats and coats facing each other. The caption reads: "ALTERED THE CASE" with a dialogue: **Firstcost**: "Gilliard has absconded with $10,000 of his employer's money." **Secondcost**: "Ha! ha! the lucky rascal! And he took your umbrella, too." **Third**: "The infernal scamp!" The joke appears to satirize **misplaced priorities**—the employer is more upset about a stolen umbrella than the embezzled $10,000. This mocks either absurd property values or suggests the umbrella thief is the truly notorious figure, inverting expectations about what constitutes a real crime.