The Wasp — 1893 — page 265: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three unrelated pieces: **"Frisco Celebrities"** depicts a man in formal dress admiring himself in a mirror—likely satirizing vanity among San Francisco's social elite. **"A Silent Tip"** shows a street scene where a woman (Cynthia) warns a man against improper public behavior on B Street in Haywards, then observes him crossing cable car tracks. The joke concerns propriety and social reputation in public spaces. **"How Marigold Lost Faith"** is a longer narrative about Miss Marigold Van Jones, a horticulturist whose prize tulips fail to bloom despite careful cultivation. Her father's intervention with store-bought bulbs restores appearances but teaches her a lesson about nature and authenticity. The satire critiques superficial solutions to genuine problems. All three pieces target bourgeois social pretension and self-deception.