The Wasp — 1893 — page 145: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical sequence mocks the opening of a fashionable millinery (hat shop) and the high-society culture surrounding it. The narrative follows: 1. A Parisian artist sketching designs 2. A boss milliner showing off a summer bonnet 3. An imported bonnet display 4. The opening day "crush"—depicting a chaotic mob of wealthy women fighting to purchase hats 5. A final sale to a "wealthy patron" The satire targets the absurdity of upper-class women's obsession with Paris fashions and status-symbol millinery. The frenzied crowd scene particularly mocks how fashionable hat purchases drove irrational consumer behavior among the wealthy. The exaggerated caricatures and crowded composition emphasize the vanity and hysteria surrounding this commercial spectacle.