The Wasp — 1879 — page 252: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This November 1879 *Wasp* cartoon satirizes San Francisco's high society through a "Carnival Ball" theme. The central figure appears to be a grotesque clown or fool character, suggesting the absurdity of the event or its attendees. The caption notes "No person will be admitted on the floor at the ball unless in full evening or fancy dress" — mocking strict dress codes as pretentious. The surrounding figures in various costumes represent society's hypocrisy: people masquerading in elaborate dress while the cartoon implies moral or social corruption underneath. The subtitle "Liquor is everything—ludicrous end of a lucrative balk" suggests the event devolves into drunken excess. The overall message critiques San Francisco's wealthy class as fundamentally ridiculous and their social gatherings as hollow spectacles masking vice.