Judge — May 11, 1912 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a romantic poem by Ethel Augusta Cook accompanying a photograph or illustration of a woman posing with a tiger. The image appears to be a theatrical or artistic photograph—likely from a stage production or artistic composition popular in the late 19th/early 20th century. The poem's satire lies in its final stanza: the speaker confesses that despite his romantic declarations, the "lady" is merely "a picture hanging on my wall"—she exists only as an artwork or photograph, not a real person. The earlier lovers need not worry because the current "love" is literally inanimate. This mocks sentimental Victorian romance poetry and male sentimentality toward unattainable women, while also commenting on how such exotic theatrical imagery (woman with tiger) was consumed as decorative art rather than representing genuine human connection. The joke is the speaker's eventual admission that his "love" is literally two-dimensional.