The Wasp — 1894 — page 35: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page reviews a theatrical production of "Therese in the Disrobing Scene" (an operatic adaptation of a French drama). The main illustration shows a woman in a state of undress, captioned to note the scene's "slight" camera angles and "manual extremities" — language suggesting the production emphasized suggestive content. The review's tone is satirical: it congratulates readers on experiencing French theater, then mocks the plot (involving an ugly, red-haired man married to a beautiful woman) as melodramatic. The text suggests the production's appeal relied heavily on the "disrobing scene" rather than dramatic quality — poking fun at lowbrow theatrical entertainment that prioritized spectacle and partial nudity over substantive storytelling.