The Wasp — 1880 — page 290: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes a military ceremony or review presided over by someone in command (likely General Smedberg, based on the OCR text mentioning "Old Smedberg's Command"). The detailed military diagrams show troop formations and marching instructions—"Forming Column of Fours from Close Column of Divisions," "Right Turn," "On Left into Line," and "Guard Mounting." The elaborate ceremony depicted with officers in dress uniforms appears to mock either military pageantry, bureaucratic inefficiency, or a specific commander's obsession with formal procedure over substance. The satirical tone suggests The Wasp was critiquing the military establishment's emphasis on elaborate ceremonies rather than practical military capability. The exaggerated uniforms and detailed formation instructions amplify this mockery.