The Wasp — 1894 — page 131: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising** for *The Wasp* magazine's contest promotion rather than satirical content. The main illustration shows a well-dressed couple on a bicycle-built-for-two labeled "FOR SALE." The caption references San Francisco reporters and their photographs at a "Midwinter Fair," suggesting this advertises a contest tied to that event. The contest offers $200 in prizes (first prize: a $150 bicycle) in exchange for collecting "Wasp Coupons"—no stamps or money required. Readers must cut out and mail coupons to compete; the person sending the largest number wins the bicycle. This is a **circulation-building promotion** typical of 19th-century magazines, using humor and valuable prizes to encourage readership and coupon collection rather than delivering political or social satire.