The Wasp — 1890 — page 387: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The two cartoons at top depict a domestic scene where Mr. O'Hara asks if a bottle has "faded the kid on" (caused intoxication), while Mrs. Cleary offers him "some ay the same"—satirizing Irish immigrant drinking stereotypes common in 19th-century American humor. Below are brief news items and commentary on topics including Sara Bernhardt's San Francisco appearance, railroad speculation by "Octopus"-era monopolists, California agriculture, and a scalawag's treatment of a snake bite. At bottom: an advertisement for Ely's Cream Balm for catarrh. The satire targets immigrant Irish communities, wealthy railroad barons, and California's agricultural limitations—typical subjects for this era's satirical magazine.