The Wasp — 1890 — page 487: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This humorous narrative piece describes a Christmas-week incident at a San Diego office where the author, a clerk, received boxing gloves as a gift from a friend. The story satirizes workplace dynamics through an anecdotal account of impromptu sparring in the office to "warm up" their blood. The accompanying sketches illustrate the comedic chaos: workers boxing in confined office spaces, a skeletal figure (personifying winter cold), and men engaged in the awkward physical activity. The satire targets the absurdity of using vigorous exercise as a practical office solution to combat cold temperatures during winter—highlighting both workplace eccentricity and the desperation of poorly-heated early 20th-century commercial spaces.