The Wasp — 1889 — page 369: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains several short humorous pieces rather than a unified cartoon. **"The Back of Bowron's Head"** mocks someone named George Bowron, leader of the Columbia orchestra, for his appearance. The joke involves him cashing a check at a bank—the cashier recognizes "the back of his head" rather than his face, suggesting he's unremarkable or forgettable looking. **"He Was Polite"** describes a circus that visited Montgomery, Alabama after the war (likely Civil War era), featuring a hot air balloon ascension. The humor derives from racial caricature and the absurdity of an escaped slave unable to catch a runaway horse. The remaining sections are brief anecdotes mocking various figures through dialect humor and physical description, typical of period satirical magazines. The overall tone targets both public figures and social stereotypes common to 1880s American humor.