The Wasp — 1888 — page 498: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The three playing cards depicted show caricatured female figures labeled "THE THREE GRACES," likely satirizing prominent San Francisco women or actresses of the era. The cards reference specific locations: "Oakland," "San Francisco," and what appears to be another California city. The accompanying verses mock these women's romantic entanglements and social pretensions. References to men "stopping in London town" and pursuit by wealthy suitors suggest satire of gold-rush era social climbing and romantic scandals among San Francisco's elite. The illustration style—exaggerated facial features and postures on playing cards—was typical of 19th-century satirical magazines mocking public figures. Without identifying specific individuals named, the format clearly parodies notorious society women and their romantic misadventures during California's prosperous period.