The Wasp — 1896 — page 355: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertisements** for San Francisco businesses (bicycles, laundries, insurance, printing). However, there is one cartoon titled **"An Unproved Attack"** showing a woman confronting a man, with dialogue: "Miss _____—What would your dear mother say if she knew that you were here?" The cartoon satirizes **Victorian-era sexual propriety and double standards**. It depicts a woman publicly shaming a man for an alleged impropriety, suggesting he's engaged in illicit conduct. The humor relies on the unspoken nature of the accusation and the man's apparent embarrassment. The satire targets hypocrisy: men's reputations remained largely protected despite similar behavior that would ruin women. The vague reference ("What would your dear mother say") emphasizes how scandal operated through innuendo rather than explicit proof in this era.