The Wasp — 1893 — page 432: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes a woman—identified as "The Coryphée" (a lead ballet dancer)—through cruel verse commentary. The illustrated narrative tracks her life arc: initially vain about her appearance and elaborate clothing, she performs for admiring audiences. As she ages, "life frayed and faded" her beauty. The final stanza suggests she now sits alone sewing, her eyes "closed / With the peace of death's repose," questioning whether she's "reaping what she sows." The satire targets vanity, particularly female preoccupation with beauty, fashion, and public admiration. The decorative Art Nouveau border frames these moralizing verses about a woman's inevitable decline. The visual progression—from youthful performer to aged seamstress—reinforces the period's harsh judgment of aging women and their lost social value.