The Wasp — 1890 — page 278: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes upper-class social pretension, particularly among wealthy San Francisco families during Easter season. The main cartoon depicts a young boy reluctant to attend church services, while the society column ("Society Personals") documents the elaborate Easter celebrations of the city's elite—expensive gifts, formal receptions, and fashionable gatherings. The joke appears to be the contrast between the children's genuine reluctance and boredom with religious observance versus their parents' obsession with displaying wealth and status through ostentatious holiday celebrations. The poem mocks how children see through the hypocrisy: Easter is really about fashion, social climbing, and material excess rather than genuine spirituality. The caption "UR MODEST gals don't but" suggests critique of false modesty among the wealthy.