The Wasp — 1895 — page 918: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a social interaction between two women. The caption identifies them as "Mrs. Sauer" (left, appearing dowdy and sour-faced) and "Mrs. Smyles" (right, fashionably dressed). The joke centers on a "cut"—a deliberate social snub where one person ignores another in public. Mr. Sauer complains that Mrs. Smyles always looks cheerful while his own wife appears perpetually sour. Mrs. Sauer responds that she forgets Mrs. Smyles is a widow—implying the widow's cheerfulness comes from her husband's death. The satire mocks both women: one for being disagreeable, the other for her suspicious happiness at widowhood. It's a dark commentary on unhappy marriages and social pretense in 1890s society.