Judge — February 15, 1913 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This illustration satirizes early 20th-century ideas about "femininity" and women's allure. The image depicts a woman in fashionable dress surrounded by circular objects (possibly coins or mirrors), holding what appears to be a rope or whip—suggesting control or dominance rather than traditional feminine passivity. The accompanying poem contrasts two women: Phyllis, described as "neat and sweet" in her "costly Spring regalia," with the "fair and haughty Amaryllis," whose beauty is intimidating ("great enough to chill us"). The satire mocks the era's contradictory expectations of women—that they should be both demurely attractive and mysteriously powerful. The poem's final line suggests that despite superficial differences in dress or manner, women are fundamentally captivating ("loveliest before arriving"), poking fun at male fascination with feminine mystique regardless of actual behavior or presentation.