The Wasp — 1891 — page 82: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising** with one small cartoon illustration. The main content consists of business advertisements for San Francisco companies (pianos, champagne, leather belting, brushes, banking dividend notices) typical of late 19th-century periodicals. The one cartoon depicts "Professor B. Thompson" meeting an old Pal who was "peddling fresh herrings and stale meats." The caption suggests the Professor denies knowing this disreputable acquaintance, stating he'd "be denied" by such association. The joke appears to satirize **social climbing and class pretension**—the Professor won't acknowledge his humble past connections now that he's gained respectability. This reflects common satirical themes mocking nouveaux riches and social hypocrisy in Gilded Age America.