The Wasp — 1896 — page 383: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features "The Old Maids' Diary," a satirical column mocking women's suffrage activism. The diary entry ridicules a fictional "Mrs. Butterbean" who advocates for women's emancipation and political involvement. The satire suggests that suffragists are nagging, hysterical, and dangerously radical—a common anti-suffrage argument of the era. The accompanying caricature depicts an exaggerated, sharp-featured woman in masculine attire (top hat, tailcoat), visually mocking the supposed "mannishness" of feminists. The piece sarcastically warns that women seeking political rights will abandon domestic duties and corrupt family life. This reflects genuine anxieties among anti-suffrage forces circa early 1900s. The page also includes a photograph of Captain Sarah N. Lees and advertisements, suggesting this is a general interest satirical magazine.