The Wasp — 1896 — page 177: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* presents a satirical diary entry mocking San Francisco society women during Lent. The unnamed female narrator critiques wealthy women's fashionable displays and their selective religious observance—adopting austere Lenten practices superficially while maintaining lavish lifestyles. The cartoon below depicts "The Old Maid Protests Against This Type of Bloomerie," showing a woman on a bicycle in bloomers (controversial women's athletic wear). The satire targets both feminist dress reform and elderly unmarried women's social anxieties. The portrait of **Lovell White** (captioned as "the able financier who directs the affairs of the San Francisco Savings Union") suggests contemporary financial news. Overall, the page satirizes class pretension, religious hypocrisy, and debates over women's clothing and social roles in turn-of-the-century San Francisco.