The Wasp — 1887 — page 66: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three distinct sections: literary reviews, a funeral humor piece, and etiquette advice on hugging. The **"Our Pictures"** section reviews Haggard's novel about a woman seeking eternal youth through African magic—satirizing Victorian obsessions with beauty and immortality. **"Ordering a Funeral Fit for a King"** presents comic dialogue between an undertaker named Golden and a client (likely Irish, given the dialect), mocking pretentious funeral arrangements and the absurdity of lavish death rituals. **"Don't Hug Your Grandmother"** offers pseudo-scientific commentary on the "ethics of squeezing," arguing against physical affection as medically unsound—likely satirizing Victorian propriety and pseudo-medical claims. The poetry section references topical American events, though specific references remain unclear without additional historical context. Overall, the page exemplifies *The Wasp's* satirical approach to social conventions and contemporary anxieties.