The Wasp (magazine)
Encyclopedia
The Wasp was founded as a weekly satire magazine by the Bohemian
expat Francis Korbel and his two brothers in San Francisco in 1876. The magazine was somewhat unique at the time, owing to the Korbels' expertise in mass-producing color lithographs in print, a process they had come to master in their first business, the manufacture of labeled cigar boxes. The magazine was sold in secret in 1881 to Charles Webb Howard, who hired Edward C. Macfarlane as publisher. Ambrose Bierce
was hired as editor soon afterward, serving as editor from January 1, 1881 until September 11, 1885. The public domain collection of satirical definitions, The Devil's Dictionary
, was a popular feature of The Wasp during Bierce's editorial tenure.
Political cartoons from The Wasp are often cited in Asian-American anti defamation materials as an example of early stereotyping of Chinese immigrants.
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
expat Francis Korbel and his two brothers in San Francisco in 1876. The magazine was somewhat unique at the time, owing to the Korbels' expertise in mass-producing color lithographs in print, a process they had come to master in their first business, the manufacture of labeled cigar boxes. The magazine was sold in secret in 1881 to Charles Webb Howard, who hired Edward C. Macfarlane as publisher. Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...
was hired as editor soon afterward, serving as editor from January 1, 1881 until September 11, 1885. The public domain collection of satirical definitions, The Devil's Dictionary
The Devil's Dictionary
The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical "reference" book written by Ambrose Bierce. The book offers reinterpretations of terms in the English language, lampooning cant and political doublespeak, as well as other aspects of human foolishness and frailty. It was originally published in 1906 as The...
, was a popular feature of The Wasp during Bierce's editorial tenure.
Political cartoons from The Wasp are often cited in Asian-American anti defamation materials as an example of early stereotyping of Chinese immigrants.
External links
- Brechin, Gray. The Wasp: Stinging Editorials and Political Cartoons. Bancroftiana v121
- Gullette, Alan. Ambrose Bierce, Master of the Macabre
- West, Richard S. The San Francisco Wasp: An Illustrated History