The Wasp — 1894 — page 30: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is The Wasp's masthead and editorial page rather than a satirical cartoon. The header features an ornate illustration of a well-dressed man in a top hat—the magazine's logo character. The page contains several brief satirical news items mocking various figures and situations: a comment on John P. Irish's "peculiar" mental vision regarding Hawaiian politics; criticism of Colonel Ashford's response to California newspapers; mockery of various local scandals and crimes (tramps, a bandit named Evans, cheaper burials in Oakland). The longest piece satirizes physician-lawyer West, accused of murder, as emblematic of professional corruption. The page's humor relies on local California gossip and political references now largely obscure to modern readers.