The Wasp — 1896 — page 729: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising** for San Francisco businesses—banks, insurance companies, shipping merchants, and manufacturers. The two cartoons are brief comic vignettes with captions: 1. **"Positively Demented"**: Shows a man on a bicycle. The joke involves "Poor Sprocket" going insane, with characters debating whether other bicycle makers are as good as the one he rides—a gentle advertisement joke about bicycle quality. 2. **"The Point"**: Depicts a man and woman in conversation about bachelorhood and choice. The humor is domestic/romantic rather than political. These are mild, apolitical humor pieces typical of turn-of-the-century magazine filler. The page reflects *The Wasp*'s mixed content: satirical commentary elsewhere, but substantial revenue from local business advertising that subsidized publication.