The Wasp — 1895 — page 386: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be a **title page or cover** rather than a political cartoon. The main image shows two elegantly dressed women in what appears to be a Edwardian-era interior, with the caption "THE SCIENCE OF BEING BEAUTIFUL." The subtitle indicates the piece satirizes beauty standards: "Art and Nature Work So Harmoniously Together In San Francisco That It Takes the Eye of An Expert Very Often to Tell—" (text cuts off). The satire targets **San Francisco society women and cosmetic artifice** of the era—the implication being that artificial beauty enhancements are so skillfully applied that even experts cannot distinguish them from natural beauty. This mocks both the women's vanity and the prevalence of cosmetic practices in the city's upper classes, suggesting the "science" of beauty is actually deceptive artifice.