The Wasp — 1877 — page 91: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This six-panel satirical narrative depicts a hunting expedition. The story follows sportsmen (including characters named Brown and Smith) who leave their urban business behind to hunt game in the countryside. The satire centers on the contrast between aristocratic hunting ideals and messy reality: hunters pursue rabbits with dogs, but the chase becomes chaotic and undignified. Panels show them exhausted, sleeping outdoors, and finally returning home. The final panels suggest the hunters' wives are unimpressed with their trophy—a single small rabbit they've purchased at market rather than actually caught. The joke mocks upper-class sporting pretensions: despite elaborate preparations and effort, the gentlemen achieve only comic failure and must buy their "success" at the game market to save face with their spouses.