The Wasp — 1878 — page 40: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is the title page/masthead of *The Wasp*, Vol. 3, No. 107 (August 17, 1878), a San Francisco satirical weekly costing 10 cents. The cartoon depicts a grotesque, wild-eyed man wielding what appear to be stinging implements (labeled "ARCHNADY"), with papers or documents scattered below him. The caption reads "EFFECT OF THE LAST WEEK'S WASP ON FRANK XLEY." This appears to be self-promotional satire: *The Wasp* is boasting about its stinging attacks on someone named Frank Xley, depicting him as driven to madness by their recent criticism. The imagery suggests *The Wasp* portrayed itself as a harmful insect delivering satirical "stings." The cartoonist (signed lower right) presents Xley as disheveled and frantic—the supposed result of being targeted by the magazine's editorial barbs. The specific grievance against Xley remains unclear from this page alone.