The Wasp — 1895 — page 612: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes a contemporary divorce case involving a "Champion Bruiser" (boxer) required to pay his ex-wife $100 weekly alimony. The image shows a woman literally punching a money-bag labeled "Jim's Sack," with a framed portrait of the ex-husband above. The accompanying dialogue establishes the scenario: Ollie Corbett wouldn't be his wife, yet he must support her—presenting the arrangement as absurd and unfair to the man. The satire mocks both the divorce settlement and the woman's financial claim on her former husband's earnings. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about alimony law, portrayed here as an unjust burden on men, with the woman depicted as greedily exploiting the legal system.