The Wasp — 1888 — page 112: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three distinct sections: "Our Pictures" (editorial commentary), "The Magic Corset" (a poem about women's fashion), and "A Bad Man to Fool With" (satirical commentary). The central illustration depicts a woman in an elaborate dress being fitted or adjusted, likely satirizing the "magic corset" poem's theme of restrictive women's fashion. The poem mocks how corsets promise to reshape the female form through artificial means, with lines like "magic corset" that "contrives a double power to give / Nature's gifts" while "grudging hand-work" corrects flaws. "A Bad Man to Fool With" appears to be political satire regarding press freedom and Fourth of July editorial liberties, though the specific targets are unclear without additional context. The page exemplifies *The Wasp's* satirical approach to social customs and politics through poetry, illustration, and commentary.