Judge — December 22, 1906 — page 30: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical poem by A.S. Daggy mocking the excessive ornamentation of women's hats in the early 20th century. The illustration shows an elaborately decorated hat crowned with large flowers or plumes, framed in an ornate oval border. The satire works by suggesting that if hat-makers were truly committed to over-decoration, they would include mistletoe—which carries romantic/kissing associations. The poem implies women's hats have become so ridiculously overdone that adding mistletoe would be a logical next step. The humor targets both the fashion industry's relentless embellishment of millinery and society women's willingness to wear increasingly impractical, decorated headwear as status symbols.