The Wasp — 1889 — page 218: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three distinct sections: a humorous narrative about riverboat life ("A Tough Yarn"), a dialogue between two Black characters named Julius and Moses ("Toeing the Scratch"), and a section titled "Nothing Like It" discussing eccentric Yankee character types. The main cartoon shows a man being thrown from a horse, illustrating the riverboat narrative. The "Toeing the Scratch" section appears to be comedic dialect humor typical of 19th-century publications, depicting working-class Black characters in a boxing-related argument. The final section provides social commentary on American regional character types, specifically discussing peculiar Yankee traits and the story of Abraham Lincoln's interaction with Ward's book of humor—suggesting Lincoln found certain humor chapters lacking in wit.