The Wasp — 1889 — page 83: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The page is primarily **theatrical gossip and reviews**, not political satire. The engraving at top-left depicts **a wasp on wood**, serving as the magazine's masthead illustration. The text covers stage news: Vox Bilow's American concert tour, Evans and Hoey's theatrical season, rumors about Gounod and Massenet seeking American dollars, and reviews of plays including "Cordelia's Aspirations," "The Baldwin," and "Fatherland." **"The Cry of the Dreamer,"** a poem by John Boyle O'Reilly, occupies the right column—a sentimental piece about escapism and poverty, unrelated to satire. The page concludes with light dialect humor about money-lenders. This is **entertainment journalism with minor comic relief**, not political commentary.