The Wasp — 1888 — page 28: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is primarily **a title page and advertising section** from *The Wasp* (January 14, 1888), San Francisco's satirical magazine. The ornate masthead dominates the upper portion, with the publication's price (10 cents) and location clearly marked. The page contains **no political cartoons or satirical commentary**—instead, it features dozens of advertisements for San Francisco businesses: pianos, real estate, whiskey, photography, dentistry, patent water closets, and patent medicines (including "Carbolic Smoke Ball" for catarrh and "Boker's Bitters"). The sole illustrated element is a **portrait of a mustachioed man** advertising Wilson's Vaporizing Inhaler for catarrh treatment, established 1882. This represents typical 19th-century magazine layout: revenue through advertising subsidizes the publication.