The Wasp — 1893 — page 135: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This multi-panel comic depicts marital discord as entertainment. The sequence shows escalating conflict between husband and wife through six vignettes: her disapproval ("Good heavens!"), his poor behavior ("Good gracious!"), isolation ("Alone at last, darling!"), domestic chaos ("Wow!"), violent argument ("Holy smoke!"), and final separation ("Oh, Lord!"). The title poses the central question: "Is Marriage a Failure?" with subtitle "The harrowing experiences of a bridegroom with an artificial better half." The satire mocks both marriage itself and contemporary divorce culture. The cartoon suggests marriage inevitably leads to conflict, using exaggeration and slapstick humor to critique both spousal relationships and the era's growing acceptance of divorce. The page frames this as contemporary social commentary wrapped in comedic form.