The Wasp — 1878 — page 480: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains the "Answers to Correspondents" advice column and a poem titled "After the Quarrel" by Mrs. S. M. B. Piatt. The cartoon at the top shows a figure labeled "ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS" seated at a desk, receiving letters. The satirical content mocks various reader inquiries about marriage, investments, and social matters. The responses employ tongue-in-cheek advice—for example, suggesting someone sleep with feet pointing east to avoid bad dreams, or recommending a "scolding wife" cure. The poem explores romantic conflict and reconciliation between lovers, using Victorian sentimental language. The page primarily functions as humor through absurdist advice and social commentary rather than political satire. It represents typical magazine filler content of the era, poking fun at middle-class anxieties about courtship, finance, and domestic life.