The Wasp — 1889 — page 396: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains primarily **advertisements and humor columns** rather than political cartoons. The visible satirical content includes: **"Millions in It"** — A dialogue mocking get-rich-quick schemes, where "Poodles" describes patent-leather shoes requiring no blacking, costing ten cents daily. "Noodles" calculates this equals fifty dollars yearly, then absurdly extrapolates to five million dollars annually. The satire targets people's tendency to fantasize about wealth from minor business ideas. **"A Rise in Value"** — A brief joke about a horse's sudden worth increase after its death, satirizing illogical financial reasoning. **Other sections** include jokes about reporters, lottery winnings, and a "How Women Can Make Money" advisory. The cartoon illustrations are generic period humor rather than specific political commentary. Overall, the page reflects late-19th-century American satirical magazine conventions, mocking ordinary greed and financial delusion.