The Wasp — 1893 — page 252: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical illustration depicts a central female figure with wasp wings, arms raised triumphantly, surrounded by four smaller theatrical character types labeled: **Drama**, **Comedy**, **Tragedy**, and **Opera**. The caption reads: "When it comes to town all the other kinds are thrown in the shade." The satire suggests that theatrical leg shows—featuring prominent display of women's legs (note the central figure's prominent leg pose and patterned stockings)—have become the dominant entertainment form, overshadowing traditional theatrical genres. The "wasp" personification and the figure's exuberant pose mock how this sensational form of theater has eclipsed more serious or artistic dramatic traditions in popular culture. This reflects late 19th/early 20th-century anxieties about lowbrow entertainment displacing classical theater.