The Wasp — 1893 — page 288: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **theatrical advertisements** for San Francisco venues (New California Theatre, Stockwell's Theatre, etc.), with one central cartoon. The cartoon titled "An Anxious Moment" depicts a figure in formal attire (top hat and coat) who appears distressed. The caption reads: "Oh, Harry! Harry! Come here! What's the matter? There's a fish eating the bait off my hook and I don't know what to do." This is a **humorous domestic scene about fishing incompetence**—the joke being that the anxious person cannot manage a basic task (preventing fish from stealing bait). The satire likely mocks upper-class pretension or incompetence at leisure activities. Without additional context identifying "Harry," the precise satirical target remains unclear, though the humor relies on physical comedy and exaggerated distress over a trivial problem.