The Wasp — 1894 — page 547: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a woman being blown violently by strong wind, her parasol and clothing in disarray. The accompanying poem describes summer heat so intense that "parasols can barely stand" and "the lady's bang, the old man's wig" blow away. The satire targets San Francisco's notoriously unpredictable summer weather—specifically the strong afternoon winds that sweep through the city. Rather than the balmy season outsiders expect, locals endured powerful gusts. The cartoon mocks the contrast between "summer" as a gentle season and the city's harsh reality, using the woman's undignified predicament to humorously illustrate what residents actually experienced during these months.