The Wasp — 1895 — page 462: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising and notices** with one small editorial cartoon titled "MODERN COURTSHIP." The cartoon depicts a flirtation scene between a man and woman at a fancy dress ball. The dialogue satirizes Victorian courtship conventions: - **NELL**: accuses the man of being too forward - **HE**: deflects with poetic language about her beauty - **SCENE**: "Hard is thy heart, sweet one" - **SHE**: pragmatically responds "Oh, that is my corset!" **The satire**: The joke mocks romantic pretense—the man's flowery declarations are undercut by the woman's blunt reminder that her apparent beauty is merely constructed artifice (the corset). It satirizes both male romantic posturing and the artificial femininity Victorian fashion enforced. The remainder of the page contains medical advertisements, legal notices, and business listings typical of 1890s publications.