The Wasp — 1894 — page 27: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes Victorian social pretense and class anxiety. The central figure is "Mrs. Van Ness," a wealthy society woman who appears concerned about maintaining proper decorum. The artist depicts her instructing someone (likely a servant or social inferior) on appropriate behavior—specifically about controlling facial expressions to appear refined. The accompanying dialogue jokes about religious hypocrisy, with "Mrs. Brown" making pointed remarks about sermons and people's inability to listen attentively. The satire targets the gap between upper-class moral posturing and actual behavior—mocking how wealthy women like Mrs. Van Ness obsessed over "the right expression" while ignoring genuine virtue. This reflects late-19th-century American criticism of aristocratic pretension and social climbing.