The Wasp — 1894 — page 437: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a domestic scene where Mr. Gayboy requests a "quiet family dinner," but his wife insists on dining where "there's more dinner than family"—suggesting she prefers company to intimacy with her husband. The accompanying text features humorous domestic dialogues touching on class anxieties: Reuben would "rather be a black one than a white one" (unclear full context), and Mamma questions why Reuben wouldn't accept gifts "as often" as offered. The satire appears to mock Victorian marriage dynamics, particularly the wife's apparent indifference toward her husband and preference for social gatherings. The cartoon critiques both marital disconnection and the nouveau riche's obsession with displaying wealth through entertaining.