The Wasp — 1896 — page 883: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising with one cartoon**. **The Main Cartoon ("Ready Made"):** Shows a woman proposing marriage to a man in a parlor while two others observe. The caption reads: "It is strange that you should want to marry me—the sister of your lamented wife. Not at all. I haven't the time to break in a new mother-in-law." The joke satirizes **remarriage practicality**: the widower isn't motivated by love but by convenience—marrying the sister eliminates needing to train a new mother-in-law figure. It's dark humor about marriage as domestic management rather than romance, and mocks both male laziness and family obligation. **The Advertisements** promote champagne, wine, tailoring services, bourbon, and a hotel—typical period commercial content. The cartoon reflects **Victorian-era social attitudes** toward marriage and family obligation.