The Wasp — 1890 — page 301: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes prominent figures in 1880s boxing and baseball through exaggerated caricatures. The top illustrations show three scenarios: "A Surprising Catch," a "Rank Bawl," and "Back Stop"—using baseball terminology to mock specific people. The main text discusses **Jake Kilrain**, a boxer who fought John L. Sullivan. The satirists mock his sensitivity to criticism and his excuses after losing fights. A lengthy anecdote describes humiliating Kilrain during a San Francisco waterfront incident, suggesting he was thrown from a ship. The piece also references **Peter Jackson** and **Joe McAuliffe**, other prominent boxers of the era. The satire ridicules their fighting abilities, training methods, and public personas—typical targets for *The Wasp*'s irreverent sports commentary and social mockery.