The Wasp — 1896 — page 904: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page from *The Wasp* (a Pacific Coast illustrated weekly) mocks female suffragists through the fictional "Old Maid's Diary." The main cartoon, titled "Too Highly Educated," depicts a woman being rejected as a School Director nominee because she's "too highly educated"—her enemies circulated reports she spent three months at school without misspelling a word with a "k." The satire is anti-suffragist propaganda: it ridicules educated women by suggesting their competence actually disqualifies them from civic positions. The irony is intentional—opponents of women's voting rights used absurdist arguments to mock suffragists' push for political participation. The left sidebar advertises content "describing the feelings of Female Suffragists after Election," likely also mocking their disappointment.