The Wasp — 1892 — page 256: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes American husbands whose wives travel abroad for exhibition or display purposes. The central image shows a woman enclosed in a protective glass dome or case, presented like a museum specimen or novelty attraction. The caption suggests the cartoon mocks a practice where wealthy men essentially "show off" their wives internationally—treating them as objects of exhibition rather than people. The title "Better Than Pistols" appears to reference dueling (a measure of masculine honor), implying this practice of parading wives abroad is a safer, if equally absurd, way for men to compete and establish status. The smiling figures surrounding the dome represent men observing or approving of this dehumanizing display of femininity as property or achievement.