The Wasp — 1891 — page 190: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains a biographical article about **Mary St. Clair**, a notorious figure from California's frontier era, written by Joaquin Miller. The article recounts her violent history during the Mexican War period and her later life in Vreka, California, where she allegedly killed multiple men. The accompanying illustration shows a social gathering or dinner scene with multiple figures in period dress, captioned "She lifted her skirts and began to dance!" The satire appears to target the **romanticization of frontier violence**—Miller presents Mary St. Clair's murderous past as colorful frontier legend while noting the inherent contradictions: she's simultaneously celebrated as a memorable character while being factually a serial killer. The piece mocks how the American frontier myth transforms brutal reality into entertaining storytelling.