The Wasp — 1895 — page 422: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising and business listings** for San Francisco services (dental parlors, law offices, mining companies) interspersed with patent medicine ads—typical of late 19th/early 20th century publications. The central **cartoon** shows a well-dressed woman in an elaborate dress and hat, labeled "IT REQUIRED COURAGE" and "THE BEST SHE COULD DO." The caption reads: "SHE—How dared you kiss me! / HE—I don't know, unless that I have remarkable courage." This appears to be **satirizing romantic/courtship conventions** of the era—likely mocking either the woman's exaggerated display or commenting on social pretension around class and appearance. The joke hinges on the gap between her elaborate self-presentation and the simple act of being kissed. Below are lighter domestic humor snippets about clerks and employment.