The Wasp — 1891 — page 55: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features advertisements and several humorous anecdotes rather than explicit political cartoons. The main illustrated story, "The Man from Fresno," depicts a Cardiff Giant-style hoax—a fabricated "petrified man" exhibited as a curiosity that duped the public. The cartoon shows the con artist's deception, reflecting 19th-century America's fascination with fraudulent exhibits. The page also includes light domestic humor ("The Three Conditions," "A Valuable Retriever," "Almost as Good") featuring typical Victorian jokes about marriage, pets, and social mishaps. The advertisements (Steinway pianos, savings banks, Dr. Ricord's dispensary) indicate this was a San Francisco publication targeting middle-class readers interested in both satire and commercial offerings.