The Wasp — 1879 — page 818: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features a satirical illustration and accompanying commentary about a romantic encounter. The main cartoon depicts a well-dressed man with a cane encountering a woman outdoors, with captions suggesting he's approaching her under false pretenses—"smiling at the maiden's terror" while claiming to seek "protection." The accompanying article, "Something Like a Walk," describes Captain Coghlan's 1890 journey from St. Petersburg across Russia on foot, traveling 40 miles daily for 123 days. The satire appears to juxtapose these two narratives: the predatory male behavior illustrated above contrasts with the remarkable endurance feat described below. The humor seems to mock both courtship rituals of the era and the absurdity of such extreme athletic feats. The exact satirical target remains unclear from text alone.