The Wasp — 1896 — page 807: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertisements for San Francisco businesses** (banks, merchants, manufacturing firms) with a small satirical cartoon titled "A Scientific Diagnosis." The cartoon depicts a male doctor and female patient. The doctor asks how to define a "Platonic affection," and the woman responds that it's "like every other flirtation in this city—you understand." **The satire**: The joke mocks San Francisco society's hypocrisy regarding relationships. A "Platonic affection" supposedly means a non-romantic friendship, but the woman's cynical response suggests that in San Francisco's social circles, such supposedly innocent friendships are actually indistinguishable from ordinary flirtations—there's no meaningful difference. It critiques the pretense and dishonesty of upper-class romantic conventions.