The Wasp — 1887 — page 464: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains the short story "Lamia" by Ella Sterling Cummins, not a political cartoon. The narrative describes a society gathering where the narrator encounters an alluring woman named Verona Silverdale at Westcourt's residence. The story employs classical mythology—referencing the Lamia (a serpent-woman from Greek legend)—as a framework for social satire. The piece critiques Victorian high society through descriptions of artificial courtship, superficial aesthetics, and the mysterious, dangerous allure of certain women within elite circles. The text suggests anxieties about feminine power and deception common to late 19th-century literature, presenting Verona as simultaneously fascinating and threatening to the male narrator's sensibilities and social standing.