The Wasp — 1895 — page 715: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The central cartoon depicts two men observing a woman in bed, with dialogue exploring gender stereotypes. Mrs. Grassweeds complains she's exhausted from offering her seat to a man in a streetcar, then accepting it—suggesting women's contradictory social expectations around chivalry. A second joke features "Johnny" being scolded for misbehavior, with his mother warning that "naughtiness" leads to broken arms and legs, while she herself engages in harmful behavior ("no one can lick me"). The satire targets Victorian-era hypocrisy regarding female propriety and maternal discipline—highlighting the gap between women's prescribed virtue and actual behavior, and the illogical double standards imposed on children regarding morality.