The Wasp — November 29, 1879 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of The Wasp, November 29, 1879 This issue features formal portraits of **Alfonso XII and Christine, King and Queen of Spain**, identified in the caption. The image appears to be a straightforward news illustration rather than satirical cartoon—a photo-lithograph reproduction showing the Spanish royal couple in official dress. The Wasp, as a satirical weekly, likely ran this as contemporary news coverage of the Spanish monarchy. Alfonso XII had recently restored the Spanish throne after a period of republican government. This appears to be standard illustrated journalism rather than political satire, offering San Francisco readers visual documentation of European royalty during an era when such royal imagery held public interest.