The Wasp — 1895 — page 1042: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a social contrast between two gentlemen. Mr. Browne (the standing figure in formal attire) asks Mr. Smythe about Christmas dinner preferences. Smythe's response—rejecting fancy French cuisine in favor of plain, substantial fare (salad, chicken, peas, celery, strawberries, burgundy, and champagne)—is the joke's pivot point. The satire targets wealthy men's pretense of "simple tastes" while actually listing expensive, refined items (burgundy wine, champagne, fresh strawberries in December would be luxury goods). The seated woman observes this performative modesty. The cartoon mocks upper-class hypocrisy: Smythe claims to want nothing "fancy" while describing an elaborate, costly meal—the very definition of refined indulgence dressed up as plain living.