The Wasp — 1894 — page 311: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This sketch depicts two women in conversation, labeled as a dialogue between Mrs. Burns and Mrs. Geoghagen. The cartoon satirizes working-class women's employment and domestic labor. Mrs. Geoghagen mentions her husband works "at th' Mint" (the U.S. Mint), which Mrs. Burns interprets as candy-making. When corrected, Burns jokes that her husband "wears tights wid no pockets even for his pride an' stockings"—mocking the physical constraints or low status of his work. The cartoon's title "Handicapped" suggests commentary on how working-class employment limits men's ability to support families adequately. The humor derives from Mrs. Burns's misunderstanding and crude observation about masculine dignity and economic insufficiency.