The Wasp — 1895 — page 45: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising content** interspersed with one satirical cartoon at the top. **"The Hobo's New Gag"** depicts a well-dressed businessman at his desk confronted by a shabby vagabond. The joke plays on class contrasts: the hobo uses an absurd snake-bite excuse to beg money, with the punchline hinging on the businessman's inability to verify the claim ("do you know of any snakes around here?"). This satirizes both working-class deception and wealthy men's gullibility when confronted by the poor—a common Gilded Age theme. The remainder consists of watch advertisements ("Wasp Premium Watches"), champagne promotions, shoe advertisements, and a hotel advertisement—typical period marketing using the magazine's pages for revenue.