The Wasp — 1881 — page 25: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page titled "The Wasp" presents six comic panels depicting "Calls" - likely New Year's social visits, a Victorian custom. The labeled scenes are: - **"Hoodlum Call"**: A rough figure making an unwelcome visit - **"The Mayor Calls on the Parson"**: Municipal authority visiting clergy - **"Railroad Call"**: Appears to reference railroad industry interests - **"No One to Call"**: Someone isolated or excluded - **"New Year's Calls"**: A temperance-themed scene showing someone offering alcohol ("PB" possibly refers to liquor) The cartoons mock various social groups and their New Year's visiting customs. The exaggerated caricatures and satirical framing suggest commentary on social hypocrisy, class interactions, and possibly political or business corruption of the era. Without specific dates or clearer figure identification, the precise targets remain somewhat unclear, though the theme critiques social pretension.