The Wasp — January 1880 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "The Illustrated Wasp" Page 372 The main illustration depicts "Hallowed Bethlehem, as seen by the Wasp" with a subtitle referencing "Reindeer to Camel" — comparing transportation methods from Christian nativity imagery to Middle Eastern settings. The accompanying article discusses Bethlehem's sacred sites and pilgrimage destinations, describing various religious structures and their histories. It mentions Turkish occupation and religious communities (Catholic, Protestant, Armenian) claiming sacred spaces. The satire appears to critique the commercialization and competing claims over holy sites in Bethlehem, where multiple religious groups have "appropriated some sacred spot." The contrast between "reindeer" and "camel" likely mocks the incongruity between Western Christmas imagery and the actual Middle Eastern geography and politics of the Holy Land.