The Wasp — 1888 — page 251: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is primarily an **advertising page** from *The Wasp*, a San Francisco satirical magazine. The page contains no political cartoons or satirical commentary—instead, it showcases commercial advertisements from late 19th-century San Francisco businesses. Notable ads include John Wieland's Lager Beer (the largest brewery on the Pacific Coast), the Stock Brewery, Eclipse champagne, Moxie soft drink, Valentine Hassmer's cough syrup, and The Baldwin Hotel. The only visual elements are **product illustrations and building sketches**—a brewery, champagne bottle, medicine bottle, and hotel architecture. These serve promotional purposes rather than satirical ones. This reflects how *The Wasp* funded itself through advertising revenue, mixing commercial content with its satirical editorial content on other pages.