The Wasp — 1895 — page 753: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily a **theater advertisement** for "The New Era Theater" promoting a stage production of the "Tehama Street Murder Trial." The text describes it as the "Sensation of the Century," featuring a dramatized courtroom case involving a defendant accused of using a "rusty sausage machine" to kill his mother-in-law. The illustration shows **two elegantly dressed women in Edwardian-era clothing**, appearing to be attendees or characters from the production, rendered in detailed pen-and-ink style. The satire here is straightforward: **The Wasp is mocking the era's sensationalist theater**, which capitalized on real crimes and lurid details to attract audiences. By advertising this as popular entertainment with "popular prices" (10¢-50¢), the magazine critiques how theatrical venues and newspapers exploited public fascination with murder cases for profit. The phrase "Coming Fad" at bottom suggests this reflects broader entertainment trends the magazine found distasteful.