The Wasp — 1895 — page 583: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts two men at a table with a bottle, apparently caught in an awkward moment. Based on the caption "The Party Abashed" and the surrounding dialogue snippets, the joke appears to concern social embarrassment during a gathering. The dialogue references include comments about someone riding out "to congratulate your old chum on his father" and mentions of Thompson "looking like a fool." The humor seems to target social pretense and awkward situations—possibly mocking someone for inappropriate behavior or a social misstep at a formal event. Without clearer identification of the specific individuals caricatured, the exact political or social reference remains unclear, though the cartoon appears to satirize upper-class social conventions and the embarrassments that arise when decorum breaks down.