The Wasp — July 3, 1880 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Page Analysis: The Illustrated Wasp This page is primarily a letters column ("Answers to Correspondents") with miscellaneous social commentary rather than political cartoons. Small decorative illustrations accompany the text. The "Don't Crowd" editorial discusses poverty and social inequality, arguing against the notion that poor people suffer more hardship than others. It advocates for pragmatic work solutions rather than charity, reflecting late 19th-century attitudes toward labor and poverty relief. Other sections address topics like divorce, matrimony, and social etiquette. One humorous anecdote involves a Sheffield manufacturer who allegedly transported beer in a barrel marked "Hear, bear," fooling customs officials. The page reflects *Wasp* magazine's satirical approach to contemporary social issues through prose commentary rather than visual satire, appearing to target middle-class attitudes and pretensions.