The Wasp — 1890 — page 448: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising and directory listings** for California hotels and resorts, with minimal satirical content. The main visual element is a large engraving promoting the "Hotel del Monte" in Monterey, depicting an elaborate seaside establishment with grounds and visitors. The text includes hotel advertisements, brief humorous anecdotes (like "Carl Pretzel's Philosophy" and dialogues about domestic life), and promotional content. These short pieces use common period humor: wordplay, marital discord jokes, and rustic dialect comedy—typical of 1890s satirical magazines. The page reflects **The Wasp's mixed business model**: combining advertising revenue with light satirical content. The Hotel del Monte ad emphasizes luxury tourism, a growing California industry. The scattered jokes are generic rather than targeting specific political figures or events.