The Wasp — 1889 — page 182: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon depicts a domestic scene where a wife consoles her drunk husband (Mr. Augustus Smallbottle) who has come home intoxicated. He complains about losing money at his club, while his wife reassures him that her own loss—presumably from infidelity or an affair lasting 24 hours—was worse. The satire mocks both marital infidelity and male hypocrisy: the husband feels entitled to complain about his vices (gambling, drinking) while his wife's transgressions are treated as equally valid. The cartoon critiques Victorian double standards regarding gender and moral conduct, suggesting wives had legitimate grievances against their husbands' dissolute behavior.