The Wasp — 1891 — page 419: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents two distinct satirical pieces from *The Wasp*, a 19th-century American humor magazine. **Left side** features "An Episode of Ye Messiah Craze," mocking what appears to be a religious movement. The crude illustrations and captions ridicule a self-proclaimed messiah figure who is "not-afraid-of-his-whisky," suggesting the charlatan combines religious pretense with drunkenness—a common target of satirical critique. **Right side** contains "Hiawatha's Hilarity," a poem by J.S. Partridge that parodies Native Americans through dialect humor and stereotypical situations. The narrative mocks Native Americans learning to drink alcohol through the character "Hiawatha," reflecting the racist attitudes embedded in 19th-century American humor publications. Both pieces exemplify *The Wasp's* approach: crude caricature combined with verse to ridicule outsiders and marginalized groups.