The Wasp — 1895 — page 876: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The central cartoon depicts a doctor and young woman in conversation, captioned "A DANGEROUS DISEASE." The doctor warns that marriage sometimes develops into this condition, suggesting matrimony itself is a disease afflicting women. The surrounding text—including sections titled "A Lovely Girl," "Blows His Own Horn," and "The Question"—satirizes contemporary gender dynamics and courtship. "The Question" debates whether women should "bloom in bloomers or in bloomers not to bloom," referencing the controversial divided-skirt fashion (bloomers) and broader questions about women's propriety and modesty. The satire mocks both pretentious suitors and debates over women's clothing and social roles in this era of Victorian/Edwardian social anxiety.