The Wasp — 1896 — page 271: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes class prejudice in barbering services. A working-class woman sits in a barber's chair while a fastidious barber and his assistant debate how to handle her—she's described as "a Paderewski, foot-killer" (likely referencing the famous pianist, used as an insult about her appearance or status). The humor turns on the barber's snobbery: he refuses to cut her hair directly, instead offering instructions to his subordinate, treating her as beneath his personal attention. The title "Prejudiced" makes explicit the satire's point—mocking the artificial class distinctions and pretentiousness of service workers who look down on paying customers based on appearance or social station. It's commentary on American social climbing and false gentility.