The Wasp — 1890 — page 256: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three separate satirical pieces with accompanying illustrations: 1. **Top cartoon**: Shows a domestic scene mocking parental authority, with a mother instructing a child to stop their brother's mischief—likely social commentary on Victorian family discipline. 2. **Middle section**: Critiques poet Frank Gassaway's work, specifically his poem "Stealing from Harte." The text argues Gassaway plagiarized from Bret Harte, inappropriately borrowing material and geography. The satire attacks the quality of his "original" work and his attempts at poetry. 3. **Bottom cartoon**: Depicts a minister confronting a young woman about bringing a man into her home, suggesting moral impropriety. The woman claims the man was never sober—satirizing Victorian moral hypocrisy and domestic scandal. All pieces employ satire to mock cultural pretensions and social conventions of the era.