The Wasp — 1896 — page 225: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes marital discord through dialogue between two actresses. The caption presents a domestic dispute where one woman complains her husband "seemed very much affected at parting from you," while the other responds that he "depends upon me for everything" and she must ensure he doesn't "go off." The joke appears to be about a wife who is so tedious or boring that her presence literally puts her husband to sleep—hence "soporific" (sleep-inducing). The second actress's boastful claims about her importance are undercut by the implication that she's actually just numbingly dull. This reflects period anxieties about marriage, female manipulation, and domestic ennui, presented through theatrical gossip between women of the stage.