The Wasp — 1914 — page 199: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains narrative text rather than a cartoon. It describes a dramatic scene featuring a woman in elegant dress holding a small knife, visited by a man named James Burnham. The passage emphasizes her composure and boldness despite the weapon and presence of rough men outside. Burnham's dialogue—flattering her while requesting she surrender the knife—suggests satire of courtly masculine manipulation. His claim that mariners are "veritable lambs in the presence of a lady" mocks both gallantry conventions and the pretense that rough working men would suddenly become docile around women. Without additional context about which issue this is from or what current events it references, the specific satirical target remains unclear, though it appears to mock gender dynamics and masculine pretense.