The Wasp — 1890 — page 495: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

**Top Section - "A Brief Lecture on the Indian":** An illustrated essay by T.B. Holmes stereotyping Native Americans as naturally criminal "thieves" and "children of nature" lacking moral development. The text describes an anecdote about a farmer (Bradbury) attempting to teach an Indian laborer agricultural work, suggesting Indigenous people are inherently unteachable and unreliable. This reflects common 19th-century racist attitudes portraying Native Americans as inferior and unfit for civilization. **Bottom Section - "A Disappointment at the Christmas Party":** A humorous sketch showing a social mishap where someone was caught under mistletoe with "Miss Sunflower" and received an unwanted kiss, resulting in embarrassment. This depicts genteel Victorian Christmas traditions being disrupted. Both sections exemplify *The Wasp's* satirical approach mixing crude racial commentary with domestic humor.