The Wasp — 1887 — page 405: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is primarily an **advertising page** from a San Francisco business directory, not a satirical cartoon page. It contains dozens of commercial advertisements for local businesses—insurance companies, shipping merchants, furniture dealers, banks, and manufacturers—typical of late 19th-century trade publications. The only illustrative content includes: 1. **The White Sewing Machine** (center)—an actual product advertisement showing the machine itself 2. **A furniture chair** (lower center)—promoting Cal. Furniture Co. 3. **A bearded man's portrait** (left side)—appears to be W.D. Lane, a plumbing supplier, based on the adjacent text These are straightforward commercial images, not political satire. The page demonstrates how *The Wasp* magazine supplemented satirical content with paid advertising to fund operations.