The Wasp — 1895 — page 326: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical magazine cover depicts a young woman burning her letters before marriage. The caption reads: "Burning Her Letters: The Last Act of a Sensible San Francisco Girl Before Getting Married is to Consign Her Bundles." The satire targets marriage customs of the era, specifically the expectation that women destroy their personal correspondence—likely letters from suitors or romantic interests—before becoming wives. The demonic figures lurking in the background suggest the moral judgment and social pressure surrounding women's premarital romantic lives. The joke critiques both prudish Victorian marriage conventions and the double standards applied to women's private histories. By labeling this destruction "sensible," the satire ironically comments on how women were expected to erase evidence of their independence and past relationships upon marriage.