The Wasp — 1888 — page 320: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be an illustration from *The Wasp*, a satirical magazine, showing a dog lying on stacked books or papers with text reading "ROMEO AND JULIET" vertically on the right side. The satire likely mocks either: - Romantic literature's excessive sentimentality (the dog as an ironic stand-in for tragic lovers) - A specific public figure or couple compared unfavorably to Shakespeare's famous lovers - The melodramatic nature of contemporary scandals being compared to high drama Without additional context or visible bylines identifying the specific figures caricatured, the exact target of the satire remains unclear. The dog's exhausted pose suggests ridicule of overwrought emotion or theatrical behavior. The title references are visible but the specific contemporary reference *The Wasp* intended is not evident from the image alone.