The Wasp — 1890 — page 146: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page showcases two photographs submitted to *The Wasp*'s amateur photography contest. The top image, "A Mountain Dairy" (by Miss E. W. Ward, San Francisco), depicts a rustic mountain shelter with basic structures and surrounding vegetation. The bottom, "Lake Tahoe Boatman" (by J. H. Ballin, San Francisco), shows a man standing in a rowboat near reeds. The accompanying text discusses Charlie Reed's theater performances and mentions the Gettysburg Panorama and Museum. Rather than satirizing specific figures or events, this page appears to celebrate amateur photography as a respectable artistic pursuit, encouraging San Francisco residents to appreciate local scenic and cultural subjects. It positions photography as an accessible art form for ordinary citizens.