The Wasp — 1896 — page 573: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising** for various San Francisco businesses (circa early 1900s), with one satirical cartoon at the top titled "At the X-Ray Restaurant." The cartoon depicts a dining scene where a waiter presents an expensive lunch bill to a diner, while a woman at the table aims what appears to be an X-ray device at him. The caption indicates the woman (Maud) is a patent holder for an "X-Ray purse penetrater" [sic]—a humorous jab at newfound X-ray technology. The satire mocks both: 1. **Expensive restaurant pricing** that leaves diners unable to afford entertainment afterward 2. **The novelty of X-ray technology** being applied absurdly (using it to metaphorically see through wallets) The joke relies on understanding contemporary fascination with recently-discovered X-rays as a source of comic speculation.