The Wasp — 1890 — page 113: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main illustration depicts a dialogue between **Mrs. de Stunner** and a **Colonel** at what appears to be a Mardi Gras ball. Mrs. de Stunner makes a wager that the Colonel won't recognize her in disguise, while she'll recognize him—a joke about the Colonel's apparently distinctive or memorable appearance that would make him identifiable despite a costume. The accompanying text discusses various San Francisco social issues: police instruction methods, the lack of executed criminals despite 50+ homicides, educational reform proposals, and local historical figures like Colonel Warren's curiosity collection. The cartoon satirizes high-society pretension and the challenges of costume-based anonymity at formal events.