The Wasp — 1895 — page 142: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The central cartoon depicts two fashionably dressed women in Victorian-era clothing. The caption "QUITE ENOUGH" suggests social commentary on women's fashion excess. The dialogue below the image presents a humorous exchange about romantic disappointment and emotional resilience. "Miss Sentiment" claims repeated romantic failures, while "Eligible Widower" references multiple marriages, culminating in the widow's sardonic response: "Yes, I've rejected more men than you've accepted." This appears to be satire on both women's marital prospects and changing social attitudes toward widows and female autonomy in the late 19th century. The joke likely plays on the unexpected agency of the widow figure—she's not desperate for marriage but selective, inverting typical period assumptions about unmarried women.