The Wasp — 1879 — page 194: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents Act 1 of "Baruch Kowski; or Le Juif Polonais" ("The Polish Jew"), a three-act play adapted by Salmi Morse. The central illustration depicts a tavern or inn scene with multiple figures gathered around a table. The play appears to satirize stereotypical depictions of Polish Jewish characters and customs. The dialogue references winters in Poland, the treatment of Jewish populations, and includes caricatured speech patterns. The satire seems to trade in period anti-Semitic tropes—depicting Jewish characters through exaggerated physical features and dialect—common to 19th-century American entertainment, though the exact satirical target (whether the depictions themselves or the subjects) remains unclear from this excerpt alone.