The Wasp — 1890 — page 486: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains two distinct illustrated stories with accompanying text. The upper narrative, "How Did She Get Him," presents a romantic comedy about a young woman securing marriage through what the text calls "a petite affaire d'amour"—she deliberately compromised her reputation to force a suitor into marriage. The satire targets Victorian courtship conventions where a woman's reputation was her only currency; she weaponizes this social vulnerability to achieve matrimonial security. The two accompanying sketches humorously depict a small dog encountering larger dogs and a woman in elaborate Victorian dress, likely illustrating comedic moments from the narrative. The page emphasizes how social pressure and gender dynamics of 1890s San Francisco society made marriage a strategic negotiation rather than romantic choice.