The Wasp — 1895 — page 678: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising and directory listings** for San Francisco businesses from what appears to be the 1890s. It includes hotels (Brooklyn Hotel, California Hotel, Occidental Hotel), restaurants, printing services, saloons, and other commercial establishments. The only illustration is a **Victorian-era engraving of two women** in the center-left, accompanying a caption: "Miss Southpark—So you like my new dress. I think it makes me look older than I am. Miss Web—Yes (sadly!)—Oh, that's impossible!" This is a **genteel social joke** about aging and female vanity rather than political satire. The humor relies on a backhanded compliment: one woman's new dress makes her appear older, which the other woman suggests is impossible since she already looks quite old. It reflects period attitudes about women's appearance and fashion consciousness.