The Wasp — 1896 — page 945: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is predominantly **advertising** for San Francisco businesses (banks, shipping companies, laundries, printers). The satirical content consists of three brief humorous verses titled "IN COSTUME," each accompanied by illustrations: 1. **"When the autumn days come stealing..."** — depicts a woman on a bicycle, satirizing how people dress differently for autumn activities. 2. **"A LITTLE girl wished to prepare a gift..."** — jokes about a child making a crude cardboard motif as a gift. 3. **"THEY were examining her photograph..."** — mocks vanity about photograph quality. 4. **"POOR old General Debility..."** — satirizes quack medicine remedies. 5. **"ON TRAINS which go with lightning speed..."** — pokes fun at modern rail travel. The final cartoon, "HIS PREFERENCE," shows a man and woman, with text joking about hair styling preferences. These are light, domestic humor pieces typical of period satirical magazines, requiring minimal historical context beyond understanding late 19th-century social customs.