The Wasp — 1895 — page 22: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The cartoon depicts a social encounter between two well-dressed figures labeled "Mrs. de Alameda" and "Mr. de Alameda." The caption reads: "DIDN'T WANT ANY MORE." The dialogue shows Mrs. de Alameda claiming she's been "cured" of smoking after her husband told her to stop while they were out walking. Mr. de Alameda responds that he "smoked all the cigars you gave me for Christmas," implying he consumed her gift entirely. The satire appears to mock upper-class domestic dynamics—specifically the wife's apparent claim of self-discipline contrasted with her husband's casual consumption. It likely comments on bourgeois pretension or marital power dynamics among San Francisco's wealthy residents during the Gilded Age. The humor relies on the husband's implicit contradiction of her virtue-signaling.