The Wasp — 1895 — page 214: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This story satirizes women's suffrage opposition through a dialogue where a man attempts to convince a woman (Mrs. Strongview) not to vote. His arguments are transparently absurd: women shouldn't vote because of household matters like carpet stains and dandruff, or because they might be distracted by domestic concerns. The satire works by presenting anti-suffrage logic as ridiculous—the man's patronizing concerns about women's "proper sphere" highlight how flimsy such objections actually were. Mrs. Strongview's steadfast commitment to voting despite these arguments suggests the cartoonist supports women's suffrage, mocking those who oppose it as foolish. The page reflects early 20th-century American debates over voting rights for women.