Life — December 22, 1892 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Hundred Years of Progress" This page contrasts women's fashion from 1792 and 1892, illustrating how dramatically women's clothing had changed over a century. The 1792 image shows a woman in an elaborate hat with feathers and a high-necked, modest dress with puffed sleeves. The 1892 image depicts a woman in a wide-brimmed hat, low-cut bodice, and dramatically puffed sleeves—representing the "Gibson Girl" era's more daring silhouette. The satirical point appears to mock both the absurdity of fashion's constant evolution and perhaps the growing impropriety of women's clothing. The accompanying text discusses theatrical performances and morality, suggesting the page uses fashion as a lens to critique social "progress" and changing standards of propriety over the century.