The Wasp — 1895 — page 604: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising and medical notices** rather than political satire. The main cartoon titled "OPPOSED TO BLOOMERS" shows two figures in Victorian dress expressing shock or disapproval, with a dialogue exchange about women wearing bloomers (the then-controversial split pants garment). One figure calls the fashion "shocking," while another defends it as practical. The satire is **social rather than political**: it mocks Victorian prudishness about women's clothing reform. The joke targets conservative attitudes toward women's expanding freedoms and practical dress, presenting the anti-bloomer position as absurdly prudish. The remainder of the page consists of patent medicine advertisements (Epps's Cocoa, remedies for various ailments) typical of 19th-century publications, reflecting common advertising practices of the era.