The Wasp — 1889 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains multiple short humorous sketches and poems rather than a single cartoon. The content includes: **"Scenes at the Paris Exposition"** — depicts tourists at the 1889 Paris World's Fair, mocking both pretentious foreign visitors (Herr Von Bierplass, a German) and American tourists' gullibility and poor behavior abroad. **Various brief comedic dialogues** satirizing everyday situations: a restaurant misunderstanding, an Army examination where a recruit admits to being married, and domestic scenes. **"When the Times is Hard"** — a poem about economic hardship and perseverance, likely referencing contemporary economic conditions. **"The Hero of Troy"** — appears to be a classroom joke about the Trojan War. The overall tone mocks social pretension, class differences, and American behavior relative to European culture, typical of The Wasp's satirical approach to 1880s-90s society.