The Wasp — 1895 — page 704: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical illustration titled "Artistic Forecasts for the Year 2000," depicting "The New Woman Causes a Sensation Among her Timid Masculine Acquaintances by Returning from an Afternoon Stroll in the Hills Behind the Sutro Tower." The cartoon mocks anxieties about the "New Woman"—an emerging 1890s figure advocating women's independence, education, and rights. The illustration shows a woman in masculine attire (short skirt/bloomers, rifle) returning from an outdoor expedition, shocking formally-dressed men in the background. The satire ridicules conservative fears that women's liberation would create gender role reversals and create social chaos. The "year 2000" framing suggests these were viewed as dystopian future predictions rather than desirable progress.