The Wasp — 1891 — page 545: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* contains a short story rather than a political cartoon. The narrative follows Edward Dalrymple, a wealthy San Francisco banker, who seeks to manipulate his lover Virginia by feigning poverty and hardship to win her father's approval for marriage. The satire targets the superficiality of wealthy society and romantic pretense. Edward's scheme—initially appearing selfless but ultimately self-serving—mocks both the materialism of the era's elite and the performative nature of courtship among the privileged class. The story critiques how love, honor, and integrity become mere theatrical tools for social advancement in San Francisco's financial circles.