Life — October 13, 1910 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical illustration by C. D. Sheridan traces the evolution of women's fashionable headwear across four decades (1840–1910). The central tall figure represents the 1910 style, while smaller figures below show progressively earlier fashions from 1890, 1870, and 1840. The joke critiques how women's hairstyles and headgear have become increasingly elaborate and impractical over time. By labeling it "ancestral" and presenting it as genealogical lineage, the cartoon mockingly suggests these ridiculous fashions are inherited like family traits. The 1910 bride's towering crowned headdress with veil represents the apex of this absurd evolution. This reflects common early-20th-century satire about the excesses of women's fashion, portraying changing styles as progressively more outlandish and frivolous.