The Wasp — 1895 — page 188: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is primarily a **title page and masthead** for the satirical weekly, establishing it as "the oldest cartoon paper in America" (established 1876). The decorative header features a wasp and landscape illustration. The page includes **editorial commentary** rather than cartoons. The articles critique: 1. **Park Commissioner Rosenfeld** - attacked for refusing to audit expenditures and for creating public controversy through sensationalism 2. **A legislative bill** targeting Attorney Philbrook, preventing lawyer convictions for certain courtroom offenses 3. **International politics** - commentary on English colonial trade practices in India and the East Indies The small decorative vignette shows a figure with a suitcase, likely representing travel or departure, but the main content is written editorial satire rather than visual cartooning.