The Wasp — 1894 — page 484: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* satirical magazine contains a central illustration titled "After the Swell Wedding" depicting an opulent, cluttered scene with wealthy figures amid excess luxury goods and ornate decorations. The main joke involves **Mrs. Redink** (née Norocks) questioning her husband Edwin about pulling his mustache, to which he responds he's wondering how they'll live on a $60 salary after such an extravagant wedding display. The satire targets **wealthy pretension and financial irresponsibility**—specifically mocking the nouveau riche who spend lavishly on wedding spectacle despite modest actual incomes. The surrounding poems ("A Variation," "Surpassing Modesty") continue this theme of satirizing false gentility and empty social posturing among the aspirational middle/upper classes.