The Wasp — 1896 — page 679: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **historical documentation rather than satire**. It contains two illustrations and accompanying text describing San Francisco's early development. The top engraving shows **"The Grand Plaza in 1849,"** depicting Portsmouth Square during the Gold Rush era when the town was nearly depopulated by miners seeking wealth elsewhere. The bottom photograph is labeled **"The Oldest Photograph of San Francisco,"** taken in 1850, showing the city's dense development just one year later—a dramatic transformation. The text discusses the city's renaming from Yerba Buena to San Francisco, early infrastructure development (surveying by engineer Jaspar O'Farrell), and historical events like the great fire of 1849 and arrival of the first steamship. **For modern readers:** This illustrates California's explosive growth during the Gold Rush boom, contrasting the near-ghost-town of 1849 with rapidly developing urban infrastructure by 1850.