The Wasp — 1879 — page 376: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a New Year's greeting cover illustration for *The Wasp*, a satirical publication. The central image depicts an elderly bearded figure (likely representing the outgoing year 1879) riding a white horse, wielding a scythe—the traditional iconography of Father Time or Death. Above, a cherub or cupid figure in formal dress (representing the new year 1880) flies with a banner reading "Happy New Year." The composition plays on the common Victorian motif of the old year departing and the new year arriving. The dramatic, somewhat macabre imagery—with the skeletal, grim reaper-like figure—suggests *The Wasp's* satirical tone regarding 1879, implying it was a harsh or difficult year being left behind. The sea visible at the bottom adds atmospheric detail to this allegorical departure.