The Wasp — 1895 — page 202: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising and medical content** with one notable political cartoon titled "An African Courtship." The cartoon depicts a stylized interaction between an African man and woman, rendered in exaggerated caricature typical of late 19th-century racist imagery. The satire appears to mock African courtship practices, presenting them as exotic or primitive for American readers' entertainment. The accompanying verse mocks the economic practicality of courtship ("What the price of eggs may be, / The commodity is ever / Over up in G"), suggesting commentary on survival economics rather than romance. The page is overwhelmingly filled with period patent medicine advertisements (Epps's Cocoa, Damiana Bitters, cough remedies) typical of The Wasp's revenue model, reflecting how such publications survived through advertising rather than subscriptions.