The Wasp — 1894 — page 368: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily a **directory and advertising section** from The Wasp magazine, containing listings for San Francisco hotels, restaurants, and professional services (lawyers, notaries, printers, lithographers). The only significant illustration is a **fashion cartoon** titled "Beside the Peacock Paddock," depicting a fashionably dressed woman in Edwardian-era clothing during a Sunday stroll. The accompanying text humorously compares her elaborate plumage and appearance to a peacock, suggesting that women's fashion—with its ornate decorations and display—mirrors the bird's showy mating behavior. This is **social satire on women's fashion excess**, a common theme in period satirical magazines mocking the extravagance of contemporary dress among wealthy urbanites. The rest of the page consists entirely of paid advertisements and business directory listings typical of period magazines.