The Wasp — 1891 — page 496: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising and business listings** for San Francisco establishments, with one small satirical cartoon in the upper left. The cartoon depicts two figures: a man showing a framed picture to a woman. The caption reads: **Miss Anglington:** "Was your appetite good when you were in Africa?" **Young Explorer:** "Excellent; but I had to curb it. I was afraid of eating it!" This is a **cannibal joke**—a common Victorian-era satirical trope playing on racist stereotypes about African peoples. The "young explorer" implies he was in danger of being eaten, so he had to restrain his own appetite. The humor relies entirely on these dehumanizing stereotypes. The rest of the page consists of San Francisco business advertisements for ink stands, tailors, furniture storage, and patent medicines—typical late 19th-century magazine filler.