Judge — August 2, 1890 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes courting behavior at summer resorts. The caption indicates young women are "hunting the stag"—slang for pursuing eligible bachelor men. The scene shows fashionably dressed women at what appears to be a resort (note the "TOP HOUSE" building in the background) actively pursuing well-dressed men in top hats. The exaggerated, energetic poses of the women—some reaching out, gesturing dramatically—mock the aggressive courtship tactics of the era's marriageable women. The humor relies on role-reversal: traditionally men were expected to pursue women. By depicting women as the active "hunters" and men as the quarry being "hunted," the cartoon satirizes changing gender dynamics in turn-of-the-century courtship, particularly among the leisure class at resort destinations where young people gathered during summer season.