The Wasp — 1896 — page 554: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is the title/masthead page of *The Wasp*, established 1876, identified as "the oldest colored-print cartoon paper in America" and "leading weekly of the Pacific Coast." The decorative header features a large wasp alongside period illustrations of trees and landscape. Text boxes note the publication's founding date and circulation reach. The page contains no political cartoons—rather, it shows publication details (subscription rates: $5/year; published Saturdays in San Francisco) and several brief satirical commentary pieces about contemporary politics. These reference Democratic convention matters, various political figures, and debates over monetary policy (silver vs. gold coinage), but the text is editorial commentary rather than visual satire. This appears to be a contents/masthead page rather than the magazine's cartoon section.