The Wasp — 1890 — page 149: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The cartoon depicts two women in late 19th-century dress having a conversation. According to the dialogue below, Miss Lorry mentions her ancestors came over on the Mayflower, while Miss Van Slamit claims her ancestors came "in the—er—Ark." The satire targets class pretension and genealogical one-upmanship. Miss Lorry boasts of Mayflower ancestry (a symbol of American colonial prestige), but Miss Van Slamit "trumps" this by claiming descent from Noah's Ark passengers—humorously suggesting her ancestors predate American history entirely. The joke mocks both women's attempts at social superiority through ancestry claims, suggesting such boasting is absurd regardless of who started it. This reflects *The Wasp's* typical mockery of San Francisco society's affectations.