The Wasp — 1890 — page 34: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is a **hotel advertisement**, not a political cartoon or satirical content. It promotes the Hotel Vendome in San Jose, California, describing it as "California's Fashionable Summer Resort" and "The Best Appointed Hotel in the State." The ad emphasizes the hotel's proximity to San Francisco (one hour by rail) and its role as headquarters for the famous Lick Observatory. It features Victorian-era engravings showing the main hotel building, grounds, and surrounding landscape with decorative botanical borders. The text lists amenities (250+ furnished apartments, elevators, billiard halls, music and dancing) and rates ($2.50-$4 per day for transient guests). The manager is listed as J.R. Bowler. This appears to be standard late 19th-century hotel marketing rather than satirical commentary.