The Wasp — August 30, 1879 — page 15: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising content** rather than political satire. It features multiple Victorian-era advertisements including: - **Helmhold's Buchu**: A patent medicine claiming to cure bladder, kidney, and various other diseases - **Nicoll, the Tailor**: A San Francisco clothier advertising suits, pants, and overcoats with prices ($5-$55) - **C. Herrmann**: A hat vendor in San Francisco - **S.B. Wattson & Co**: Wholesale cigar and tobacco dealers The decorative illustrations accompanying these ads are generic commercial artwork typical of the period—not satirical cartoons. The page demonstrates how 19th-century magazines funded operations through advertisements, many promoting dubious patent medicines that were common before FDA regulation.