The Wasp — 1895 — page 281: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* addresses whether actors should actually kiss on stage or simulate the act. The article presents quotes from various theatrical performers debating stage kissing's propriety and execution. The accompanying illustrations show different kissing techniques and scenarios. Some actresses argue kissing should be realistic ("a poetic idea"), while others contend it's unnecessary—the audience accepts pantomime. Professional concerns include hygiene and maintaining aesthetic distance. The satire mocks Victorian anxieties about stage propriety while documenting genuine theatrical practice debates of the era. Performers like Gracie Plaisted, Dorothy Morton, and Belle Thorne discuss whether genuine physical contact was artistically necessary or merely a spectacle for audiences. The page captures turn-of-century tensions between theatrical realism and moral conventions.