Hand-colored newspaper clipping of Thomas Nast's amusing cartoon, depicting a foppish Oscar Wilde sitting down on a hot stove, with the caption "Oscar Wilde on our cast-iron stoves / Another American Institution sat down on." Published in Harper's Weekly on September 9, 1882 during Wilde's controversial American tour, the cartoon satirizes Wilde's criticism of various aspects of American culture, including his remark that the cast-iron stove "for absolute horrid ugliness surpasses anything I have ever seen." 5 x 7.75 inches, simply matted to 9.25 x 11.25 inches.

Wilde came to America on a lecture tour arranged by the English impresario, Richard d'Oyly Carte (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame), arriving on the SS Arizona on January 3rd, 1882 and famously informing customs officials, "I have nothing to declare except my genius." On a grueling schedule, Wilde lectured in a new town every few days for over a year. His outfits while on tour, as shown in the cartoon, included velvet coats and breeches, lace collars, silk stockings, and patent leather shoes; he also carried or wore a sunflower or a lily. He lectured on "The English Renaissance," "The Decorative Arts," and "The House Beautiful," extolling William Morris and the handcraft aesthetic and decrying anything machine-made, such as the despised cast-iron stove. His look and comments drew mockery and criticism from the press. When he departed in December, one American newspaper printed "Good-by, Oscar; we shan't miss you."