The Wasp — 1890 — page 406: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page depicts "The friends of Doctor Potchum" accepting a dinner invitation but finding "it very hard to be thankful on mere bean soup." The cartoon appears to critique miserliness or insufficient hospitality. Panel 3 shows a man writing invitations; panels 4-6 illustrate guests arriving with a barrel, encountering a figure (possibly representing the doctor or host) struggling with the barrel. Panel 8 shows a pot labeled "BEAN SOUP"—the meager meal offered. The satire suggests that Doctor Potchum invited friends to dinner but provided only cheap bean soup, disappointing guests who expected better hospitality. The joke plays on the contrast between the formality of a dinner invitation and the poverty of the actual meal served, mocking stingy hosts who extended social courtesies without matching generosity.