The Wasp — 1895 — page 191: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* (a San Francisco satirical magazine) features theater and opera gossip rather than political cartoons. The main content discusses: **"Through the Opera Glass"** — a society column critiquing San Francisco's entertainment scene. It mocks pretentious opera-goers, including ladies who drank champagne excessively and a man named James H. Rudd involved in some scandal. **Photographs** show performers like Irene Cook, identified as "One of the Light and Airy Dancers of the Akasar." The satirical tone targets wealthy San Francisco society's affectations around high culture—their excessive drinking, conspicuous consumption, and performative sophistication. The column's gossip format suggests this was entertainment journalism aimed at mocking the city's elite social climbers rather than addressing serious political issues.