The Wasp — 1891 — page 225: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising** for San Francisco businesses and products (liquor dealers, pianos, insurance companies, etc.), typical of late 19th-century magazine filler. The main editorial content is a **cartoon and poem titled "Hibernian Stupidity"** by Alfred I. Townsend. The sketch depicts what appears to be Irish characters in a domestic scene. The poem describes an "abcess" on a lame man's limb and a "seven-year itch," with dialogue suggesting Irish working-class characters discussing how to treat the condition. **The satire** relies on period ethnic stereotyping—portraying Irish immigrants as ignorant and superstitious. The humor targets their supposed lack of medical knowledge and reliance on folk remedies, reflecting common anti-Irish prejudices of the era. This type of caricature was standard in American satirical magazines of this period.