The Wasp — 1895 — page 295: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts wealthy society members discarding their masks and pretense. The caption reads "LAYING ASIDE: Lent Being Over, Society Discards its Masquerade of Real Goodness." The illustration shows elegantly dressed figures removing their masks, with flowers (suggesting charitable donations or good deeds) being cast aside. A demonic figure on the right appears to represent vice or immorality waiting to reclaim them. The satire targets hypocrisy: wealthy society women and men publicly perform charity and virtue during Lent (the Christian season of penance), but immediately abandon this façade once the religious obligation ends. The "masquerade of real goodness" suggests their charitable works were performative rather than genuine—donned temporarily for religious observance, then discarded when no longer required.