The Wasp — 1891 — page 330: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertisements** interspersed with a "Jokelettes" section containing brief humor. The visible cartoon shows a domestic scene with a woman confronting a man at a doorway, illustrating a joke about marital deception—the man claims he took books home "to balance last night," implying he'd been out late the previous evening. The "Jokelettes" are period comedic riddles with predictable punchlines (e.g., "Why is a ship the politest thing?" Answer: "Because she always advances with a bow"). These rely on wordplay and puns typical of early 20th-century humor. The advertisements promote San Francisco businesses including pianos, champagne, medical treatments, and farm equipment—reflecting typical commercial messaging of the era. Overall, this page emphasizes commercial content over political satire.