The Wasp — 1879 — page 444: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* (a San Francisco satirical magazine) shows an illustration titled "Valenting's Supplement to the 'WASP'" dated February 14, 1880. The image depicts three figures appearing to use some kind of mechanical device or apparatus, with one person operating what looks like a lever or handle while others observe or participate. The caption "AUTOLOGUS" (visible on the left) suggests wordplay, possibly mocking someone's name or self-referential behavior. Without clearer identification of the specific individuals caricatured or the historical context of February 1880 San Francisco politics, the precise satirical target remains unclear. The mechanical device may represent a contemporary invention or political mechanism being ridiculed.