The Wasp — 1894 — page 472: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a scene at a concert where a well-dressed man is surrounded by fashionable women. The caption references "Charlie Nobrain" being absent and inquires about "Marie's" whereabouts, suggesting a romantic scandal or social drama among the upper class. The dialogue mentions "Willie Wobbler" having "playing tendencies" and being seen on "Kearny street" with someone in "cork-soled cobble-crushers" (slang for cheap shoes)—implying infidelity or class-crossing inappropriate behavior. The joke appears to mock Victorian-era society gossip, romantic entanglements among the elite, and the contradiction between refined concert attendance and scandalous private conduct. The cartoon ridicules pretentious upper-class social circles in San Francisco.