The Wasp — 1895 — page 1007: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical piece mocks **Professor Paperwaste's incorrect theory** about extinct mammoth fossils discovered near San Francisco in 1895. The text ridicules his claim that these creatures were giants who attended a "college" where they learned football and finance. The cartoons illustrate the absurdity: mammoth-like creatures wearing colored ribbons (red, blue, yellow) in academic settings, and a "coach" figure—suggesting Paperwaste's ridiculous notion that these prehistoric animals engaged in organized sports and commerce. The satire targets **pseudoscientific claims** and academic pretension. By depicting the mammoths as college football players and businessmen, The Wasp lampoons both Paperwaste's credulity and San Francisco's mercantile culture, exposing how easily absurd theories gained credence among educated men.