The Wasp — 1896 — page 753: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page primarily contains a serialized article titled "The Old Maid's Diary" by Martha Twiggs, with accompanying illustrations. The narrative satirizes upper-class women's social pretensions, particularly mocking Miss Ethelbertha Joblots for smoking cigarettes—presented as scandalous behavior for "society girls" of the era. The text ridicules how wealthy families overlook their daughters' moral failings while maintaining appearances of propriety. The cartoon illustrations depict exaggerated female figures in fashionable dress, emphasizing the hypocrisy between genteel presentation and actual conduct. The page also includes advertisements for gin and bitters, typical of the period. The satire targets late 19th/early 20th-century class pretension and the double standards applied to wealthy women's behavior.