The Wasp — 1878 — page 378: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features a satirical cartoon titled "Henry Ward Beecher's Lecture on Nesting." Beecher, a prominent Brooklyn preacher and public figure, is depicted as the central subject being lectured about by various caricatured women arranged around him in a theatrical composition. The satire likely references Beecher's 1874 adultery scandal involving Tilton family members—a highly publicized trial that damaged his reputation. The "nesting" title appears to be a crude pun on domestic/marital infidelity. The surrounding figures appear to represent women involved in or commenting on the scandal, arranged as if conducting a lecture themselves. This represents 1870s American satirical journalism using personal scandal and wordplay to mock prominent public figures.