The Wasp — 1896 — page 774: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains a theatrical story titled "The Penalty of Success" about an actress's struggles achieving fame, alongside period advertisements. The main narrative discusses an unnamed actress who achieves metropolitan success but faces personal hardship—specifically, she collapses after her opening night performance. The story critiques how success in theater demands physical and emotional sacrifice from performers, particularly women. The accompanying illustrations show the actress in various states: performing, resting, and appearing unwell ("her face was deathly white"). The page also advertises patent medicines (Peruvian Bitters, Adam's Pepsin Chewing Gum) and Old Bourbon whiskey—typical of early 20th-century magazines. These ads reflect contemporary attitudes about health remedies and social drinking that modern readers would find questionable.