The Wasp — 1879 — page 49: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* is primarily a humor and satire column featuring brief jokes and anecdotes rather than political cartoons. The illustrated header shows a wasp carrying what appears to be a rolled document or scroll, establishing the magazine's satirical brand. The humor pieces mock various American social types: pompous men, fashion-obsessed women, pretentious socialites, and absurd situations. References include spoofs on advertising ("bald and grey-headed"), physical humor about weight, and domestic farce. The "Boy With the Bandbox" story satirizes working-class mishaps and romantic entanglements through a narrative about a boy selling bonnets—poking fun at small-scale commerce and social ambitions among ordinary people rather than targeting specific political figures or events.