The Wasp — 1889 — page 198: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains two illustrations accompanying humorous anecdotes and social commentary typical of The Wasp's satirical style. The first cartoon shows a waiter being questioned about why restaurant staff carry their noses high. The joke plays on class pretension—suggesting waiters adopt affected, snobbish mannerisms. The second illustration depicts a woman in elaborate Victorian dress, captioned "Then his inventive genius asserted itself," accompanying a story about a man who lost his horses and wagon. The satire mocks either his dubious "ingenuity" in solving the problem or the woman's conspicuous consumption and artificiality. The surrounding text contains brief humorous anecdotes about urban life, society gossip, and absurd incidents, including references to Berlin Commissioner Kasson and various scandalous situations—typical Wasp fare mocking American social pretensions and follies.