The Wasp — 1879 — page 286: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features a portrait and biographical article about **Louis Favre**, a Swiss engineer born November 15, 1887. The text praises him as a modern counterpart to Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous writer. The article describes Favre's engineering accomplishments, particularly his work on the **Mont Cenis tunnel**—a major 19th-century infrastructure project. It emphasizes his genius, determination, and ability to overcome "insurmountable" obstacles through "engineering and financial" ingenuity. The "Stevenson" comparison appears to reference intellectual brilliance and worldly accomplishment rather than satirical critique. This reads as genuinely laudatory rather than satirical—*The Wasp* here celebrating a notable contemporary figure's achievements. The portrait is a straightforward engraving without obvious caricature.