The Wasp — 1879 — page 170: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page consists primarily of a "Correspondence" section—readers' letters to the editor on various topics. The left column contains narrative fiction or a serialized story about a woman and a man named Mr. Bray, with romantic undertones. The right column features letters signed by contributors discussing topics like: General Tom Thumb, bean-farming, the Kaffirs of South Africa, San Francisco population, dancing, stealing, pork-eating, the Ephesian dome, and a copper-head snake. The small decorative cartoons flanking "CORRESPONDENCE" appear ornamental rather than satirical. This is primarily a **letters-to-the-editor page** rather than a political cartoon page, typical of 19th-century satirical magazines that mixed humor, social commentary, and reader participation.