The Wasp — 1895 — page 33: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes **Brother Shortridge**, editor of the San Jose *Call*, who paid $360,000 for an ancient manuscript. The illustration depicts him as a flamboyant, overdressed dandy—styled like Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo—laden with money bags and labeled securities, arriving in town with exaggerated pomp. The satire mocks both Shortridge's extravagant spending and his self-importance in journalistic circles. The accompanying article questions whether such a "rapacious, ruthless and mercenary spirit" deserves congratulation, sarcastically suggesting his purchase will revolutionize San Francisco journalism by introducing "the sweet song of brotherly love." The joke: wealthy vanity masquerading as cultural achievement.