The Wasp — 1888 — page 388: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is primarily a **title page and advertising section** rather than a satirical cartoon page. "The Wasp" masthead dominates the top in ornate Victorian typography. The publication information shows this is Volume XXI, Number 20, priced at 10 cents, published in San Francisco on Saturday. The remainder consists of period advertisements for local San Francisco businesses: hatmaker M. Meusdorffer, piano dealers, whiskey importers, photographers, dentists, hotels, patent water closets, bitters, and billiard showrooms. Notable ads include Wilson's Vaporizing Inhaler (claiming to cure catarrh and deafness) and the Palace Hotel. The ads reflect 1880s San Francisco commerce and consumer products. No satirical political content is visible on this particular page.