Judge — August 24, 1895 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon contrasts a husband's behavior at home versus at the office, highlighting Victorian hypocrisy about women's clothing and morality. **The scene:** Mr. Oldboy scolds his wife at home for wearing an "immodest" costume, demanding she remove it immediately. At the office, the same man encounters a typist (secretary) in similar attire and compliments her effusively as "charming" and "modest." **The satire:** The cartoon mocks the double standard of respectable Victorian gentlemen—they enforce rigid modesty standards on their wives while simultaneously flirting with and approving of the same styles on younger, unmarried working women. The "big difference" is not the clothing, but the social context and the man's transparent hypocrisy based on age, marital status, and workplace dynamics. This reflects progressive concerns about workplace propriety and male inconsistency in enforcing social codes.