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

What you’re looking at

This is the cover of a satirical magazine published in San Francisco. The main illustration shows a bearded man in a hat juggling small figures—appearing to be women or "female roosters" based on the caption. The caption reads: "ZEALOUS HUNTER BURNS TO CAPTURE FEMALE ROOSTERS AT THE CAL THEATRE." The satire appears to mock someone (identity unclear from image alone) for overly enthusiastic or absurd efforts to capture women performers at California Theatre. The juggling imagery and the deliberate misnaming of women as "roosters" suggests mockery of either the person's clumsiness, desperation, or the absurdity of the theatrical pursuit itself. The magazine cost 10 cents and was published Saturdays from 602 California Street.