The Wasp — 1891 — page 267: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising** for San Francisco businesses (liquor dealers, pianos, business college, etc.), typical of The Wasp's revenue model. The main cartoon, titled **"His Redeeming Feature,"** depicts two women discussing a man. The caption indicates one woman has "a poor opinion of him" because he possessed "such a cute little blonde moustache that it was really hard for me to cut him." The joke appears to be **satirizing masculine vanity**—specifically, a man's attachment to his facial hair as his only worthwhile quality. The phrase "redeeming feature" sarcastically suggests physical attractiveness (the moustache) as his sole merit, likely mocking both male vanity and shallow courtship dynamics of the era. The accompanying poem **"Forget-Me-Nots"** is sentimental verse unrelated to the cartoon.