The Wasp — 1893 — page 49: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page from *The Wasp* depicts a woman's obsessive concern about her hat's appearance across various social situations. The title subtitle explains: "A woman's first and last question, with numerous exemplifications." Each numbered panel shows the woman asking variations of the question in different contexts—at home with her mother, before a mirror, at social gatherings, even in formal settings like a theater box or before royalty ("St. Peter"). The satire mocks Victorian women's perceived vanity and preoccupation with millinery fashion. It suggests that regardless of circumstance—romance, family, religion, or propriety—a woman's primary concern remains her hat's appearance. This reflects common period attitudes stereotyping women as superficial and fashion-obsessed, trivializing their broader intellectual or social concerns.