The Wasp — 1888 — page 213: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three distinct pieces: 1. **"The Braggarts Outdone"**: A story about Arkansas colonels engaged in competitive tall-tale storytelling about Civil War exploits. The satire targets Southern braggadocio and exaggeration—a common theme mocking post-war Southern pretension. 2. **"She Was All Right"**: A humorous poem about courtship and marriage expectations, poking fun at romantic conventions and women's practical concerns about financial security ("I am twenty three"). 3. **"Precautionary Hints Concerning a New Invention"** and **"Catarrh, Catarrh, Deafness"**: Advertisement-style content for patent medicines and devices, reflecting the era's prevalence of dubious medical inventions marketed to the public. The illustrated figure (right) appears decorative rather than directly tied to specific content. Overall, the page satirizes Southern pretension, romantic naiveté, and medical quackery.