The Wasp — 1896 — page 842: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily a **directory of San Francisco hotels, restaurants, and businesses** (1880s-1890s era), with three satirical cartoons interspersed. The cartoons depict: 1. **"A Silver Failure"** - Two men discussing silver's declining value ("it will pay about 53 cents on the dollar"), likely referencing the economic panic and silver price collapse of that period. 2. **"Quieted"** - A man and woman, with dialogue suggesting domestic conflict resolved through the woman's death ("Better than she ever was in her life. She's dead"), dark humor about marriage. 3. **"Angling for Votes"** - Two men in discussion about voting strategy, with one trying to recruit a poor man to the Democratic ticket, satirizing political manipulation of working-class voters. The page reflects late-19th-century San Francisco concerns: economic instability, social commentary on marriage and death, and electoral corruption.