The Wasp — 1895 — page 343: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes social pretension by depicting barnyard animals engaged in a formal dance ("cotillion"). The sketch shows chickens, roosters, and other farm creatures performing an elaborate, refined social ritual—something absurdly incongruous with their nature. The satire mocks the human tendency to ape upper-class formality and etiquette. By placing crude barnyard animals in a genteel ballroom scenario, The Wasp ridicules people who adopt affected manners or pretend to sophistication beyond their station. This reflects late 1890s American anxiety about class mobility and social climbing—common targets of satirical publications. The humor relies on the visual contrast between rustic animals and refined cultural performance.