The Wasp — 1894 — page 196: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes conduct on San Francisco cable cars with the title "The Age of Chivalry is Past." The illustration depicts a well-dressed woman standing on a crowded cable car while male passengers remain seated, seemingly indifferent to her presence. The satire mocks the decline of gentlemanly behavior and courtesy in public transportation—specifically, men's failure to offer their seats to women, which was considered a basic courtesy expectation in Victorian-era society. The cartoon critiques the deterioration of social manners among San Francisco's male population during daily commutes, suggesting that traditional chivalric ideals have been abandoned in modern urban life. It's a commentary on changing social standards and the coarseness of city culture.