The Wasp — 1879 — page 87: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is **primarily advertising**, not satire or political commentary. It contains five commercial advertisements from what appears to be a late 19th-century San Francisco publication: 1. **Helmhold's Buchu** - patent medicine claiming to cure bladder and kidney diseases 2. **Nicoll, the Tailor** - New York clothier advertising suits and overcoats 3. **C. Herrmann & Co.** - San Francisco hat retailer 4. **S.B. Wattson & Co.** - San Francisco cigars and tobacco wholesaler The decorative illustrations are standard period advertising graphics—not satirical cartoons. While *The Wasp* was known for satire, this particular page showcases commercial advertisements using typical Victorian-era marketing imagery and hyperbolic health claims characteristic of the era's unregulated patent medicine industry.