The Wasp — 1893 — page 487: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains two separate satirical pieces: **"Our Picture"** (top): A cartoon mocking the financial panic affecting Eastern banks. The illustration shows a figure representing banking interests, satirizing how confidence in the financial system drives economic crises. The text criticizes both Republican and Democratic responses, suggesting neither party adequately addressed the panic's causes. **"Took the Cake"** (bottom): A lengthy narrative about Dr. Sawyer Bones performing emergency surgery on a wealthy Boston patient named Clarence Steadman Blueveynes at his mansion on Nob Hill. The story appears to satirize San Francisco's elite society and medical pretension, using dark humor about a dramatic surgical intervention. Accompanying illustrations show the doctor and fashionably-dressed gentlemen. Both pieces exemplify The Wasp's satirical approach to contemporary social and political issues.