The Wasp — 1880 — page 35: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains a serialized short story titled "A Snob Sketch" by "Welmer," not a political cartoon. The narrative follows James Coddington, a wealthy but snobbish San Francisco businessman who pursues Miss Maud Bibin, a beautiful woman from Snob Hill. The satire targets social climbing and pretension in San Francisco society. Coddington uses his wealth and connections to court Bibin, but she ultimately rejects him for a more genuinely affectionate suitor, Tom Clare. The story mocks Coddington's assumption that money and status guarantee romantic success, revealing that character and genuine feeling matter more than social position—a critique of superficial Victorian-era class consciousness among the wealthy.