The Wasp — 1879 — page 412: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains primarily **literary and satirical commentary** rather than political cartoons. The main content includes: 1. **Humorous short observations** on various social types (lawyers as homeopaths, small boys on July 4th, street musicians, etc.)—typical satirical jabs at Victorian society. 2. **"A Legend of the Road"**—a poem about rival drummers (traveling salesmen) competing, with the moral that undercutting competitors' prices backfires. This reflects **late 19th-century commercial rivalry**. 3. **Literary Review** of a book on goat digestive organs—presented mockingly as overly specialized and tedious scholarship. The illustrations appear decorative rather than propagandistic. The overall tone is **genteel urban satire** targeting pretension, commercialism, and academic excess typical of period humor magazines.