The Wasp — 1888 — page 391: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains literary content rather than political cartoons. The left column features "Bill Nye," a humorous essay about poetry writing. The center includes "Catarrah, Catarrhal Deafness" (likely an advertisement for a medical treatment). The right column presents "Carl Pretzel's Philosophy"—dialect humor pieces, and "The Month of May: A May Song" with accompanying illustration. The only visual cartoon is a wood-engraved landscape scene illustrating "The Month of May," depicting rural figures by a stream. This appears to be decorative rather than satirical. The page exemplifies The Wasp's format: mixing humor writing, philosophical observations in affected dialect, and medical advertisements—typical content for 19th-century American satirical magazines rather than hard-hitting political commentary.