The Wasp — 1896 — page 903: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a domestic scene where a man is caught in an awkward situation with a woman, while another woman (possibly a maid or family member) enters. The dialogue reveals the satire: the man has improvised an excuse, claiming he was showing the woman "the latest thing in the way of a football hug" rather than admitting to romantic impropriety. The joke targets Victorian-era social pretense—specifically how men would fabricate explanations to justify compromising situations with women. The "football hug" reference suggests a topical sports reference contemporary readers would recognize. The cartoon satirizes both male deception and the absurdity of transparent excuses offered to preserve appearances of propriety in polite society.