The Wasp — December 20, 1879 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# The WASP Christmas Number: "The Wasp's Way of Making Christmas Merry" This page presents a humorous essay about noses as a Christmas gift idea, illustrated with various nose sketches and caricatures. The satirical piece argues that noses deserve respect and attention—listing folk sayings and literary references celebrating them ("A nose of wax," "To put one's nose out of joint"). The illustrations show exaggerated nose profiles, likely mocking Victorian physiognomy pseudoscience, which used facial features to judge character. The essay is essentially a tongue-in-cheek celebration of an overlooked body part, using absurdist humor typical of *The Wasp*'s irreverent style. The page also includes brief humorous classified advertisements at bottom (wedding notices, church donations jokes), standard *Wasp* filler content. No specific political figures or events appear to be targeted here—it's primarily comedic social observation.