Life — September 25, 1890 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Different Standards" This cartoon satirizes the hypocrisy of aesthetic judgment based on gender. Two women are viewing a classical sculpture (visible on the left). One remarks to "Eleanor" that she thinks "Here Hardy has a figure like the Venus of Milo"—a high classical compliment. The other woman ("Sally") responds that she thinks "Here has a very good figure." The joke exposes how the same physical attribute—a woman's body—receives different evaluations depending on context. When comparing a woman to famous art, it's deemed refined; when discussing a woman directly, it's treated as mere physical appraisal. The cartoon mocks the pretentious double standard in how women's appearances were discussed in polite society versus casual conversation.