The Wasp — 1891 — page 563: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page uses nine vignettes to mock various social types and professions through exaggeration. The humor targets: - **Theater patrons**: Bald men and small-footed Chicago women at performances - **Messengers**: A "speedy" boy depicted clumsily - **Newspapers**: An editor drowning in submissions - **Smoking habits**: A cigar-smoking dandy - **Western stereotypes**: Cowboys presented as non-threatening - **Typewriters**: Portrayed as unattractive - **Theater attendance**: Small hats observed - **Plumbers**: Charging excessive fees The title suggests these sketches reveal reality beneath comedic pretense—likely mocking both contemporary character types and the exaggerated "funny man" persona of popular entertainment. The cartoons critique middle-class professional life and consumer culture through physical caricature.