Judge — April 21, 1900 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon by Penrhyn Stannaws satirizes women's fashion, specifically the wearing of hairpieces or wigs. The joke hinges on a double meaning: Jack asks whether a woman's hair is "chestnut" or "auburn" (natural hair colors), but Bill's response—that it "isn't a chestnut, for she hasn't had it long enough"—implies the hair is fake or borrowed, treating it like a rented object with a time limit. The elegantly dressed woman with her small dog represents fashionable society. The satire mocks both the artificiality of women's appearance in high society and the pretense involved in maintaining such looks. This reflects early 20th-century concerns about cosmetics, hair treatments, and the authenticity (or lack thereof) of feminine beauty standards.