The Wasp — 1895 — page 426: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily a **title page and advertisement** for *The Wasp* magazine (June 1st issue, 10 cents). The main illustration depicts a **photograph studio scene** where a man in a suit holds up what appears to be a finished portrait while a woman in classical dress sits posing with a parasol. The caption references "the proper thing" among San Francisco's wealthy—having one's portrait taken "à la Trilby" (a fashionable style) and displaying it on the mantelpiece. The satire targets **upper-class pretension and vanity**: the joke mocks San Francisco's wealthy for following fashionable portrait trends and ostentatiously displaying them in their homes as status symbols. The reference to "What Next, I Ask?" suggests satirical commentary on constantly changing social fashions among the elite. The overall tone is gently mocking of nouveau-riche social climbing.