The Wasp — 1888 — page 483: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon featuring a large woman labeled "Big Bertha" performing the "can-can," a risqué dance known for high kicks and revealing movements. The central female figure, exaggerated in size and muscularity, performs the dance while surrounded by men in formal dress who react with various expressions of shock, disapproval, or amusement. The satire likely mocks both the can-can dance's scandalous reputation in Victorian-era America and possibly references "Big Bertha," a famous German WWI artillery gun. The cartoon ridicules the spectacle and inappropriateness of the performance, using exaggeration and the contrast between the formal gentlemen observers and the immodest display to create humor through social commentary on morality and decorum.