The Wasp — 1878 — page 139: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page illustrates six popular songs of the era through satirical Victorian engravings. Each illustration depicts a song title with lyrical excerpts: 1. **"Meet Me by Moonlight Alone"** - Two figures in romantic encounter 2. **"Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming"** - A person discovering someone in a coffin/box 3. **"Little Footsteps Soft and Gentle"** - A woman with child on stairs 4. **"Thou Art So Near and Yet So Far"** - A figure reaching toward someone distant 5. **"The Mocking Bird"** - Rural figures with animals 6. **"Waiting My Darling for Thee"** - Interior domestic scene The satire appears to mock sentimentality in popular Victorian songs by illustrating their titles literally and somewhat absurdly, highlighting the melodramatic or illogical premises of sentimental ballads popular at the time.