The Wasp — 1895 — page 46: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes Victorian-era courtship and social pretense. Two well-dressed figures share an umbrella in the rain—a romantic scenario. The dialogue reveals the satire: a man boasts that women "make exhibitions of themselves in wet weather," claiming to see "all the exhibitions." The woman corrects him: it's a matter of "principle," not attraction—she's more interested in the *principal* (the man himself) than the display. The joke is a pun on "principal/principle" and mocks masculine vanity. The man thinks women are performing for male attention; the woman asserts she has her own priorities. Other umbrellaed figures in the background suggest this is a common social scene, making the satire about broader gender dynamics and male presumption in courtship.