The Wasp — 1895 — page 115: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a woman standing alone on the left side under a streetlamp, speaking the words "Ah there!" to men entering "Mrs. O'Reiley's" establishment on the right—a bar advertising "Steam" and "Beer." The satire appears to address **gender and morality concerns** in late 19th/early 20th century urban life. The woman's solitary presence near the bar, combined with her greeting, suggests commentary on **sex work or "fallen women"** frequenting such establishments. The caption references "how the civil and political world will move" after something—likely women's suffrage or increased female public participation. The cartoon sarcastically depicts anxieties about women's independence and visibility in public spaces, treating female presence near bars as both scandalous and inevitable social change.