The Wasp — 1890 — page 227: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

**Top Cartoon:** Shows a society woman telling a servant (Sam) not to put ice in a goblet with his fingers, claiming her hands are "hot." The joke plays on class pretension—the mistress's concern with genteel behavior contrasts with her physical discomfort, mocking Victorian upper-class affectations about proper conduct. **Text Content:** Discusses Louise K., a talented San Francisco artist; jewelry owned by Mrs. Moore of Philadelphia; and various wealthy individuals' business ventures (Eugene Kelley's $5,000,000 fortune, Senator Goodsall's grape ranch). The page satirizes the lifestyles and preoccupations of the California and Eastern elite. **Bottom Cartoon:** A gentleman complains to a waiter about "tainted" meat, with the punchline suggesting he shouldn't mention such unpleasantness in polite dining company—satirizing social hypocrisy about acknowledging unpleasant truths.