The Wasp — 1894 — page 71: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The bottom cartoon depicts a wedding scene where a woman (Miss Norhill) negotiates with her fiancé (Count). She proposes he buy her "a duck of a hat" weekly after marriage for $40, asking what "the charga?" (charge) would be. The Count, seemingly unimpressed with the financial arrangement, responds "Safe enough!!!—Is't the railroad strike over? Adieu." The satire mocks wealthy society marriages of the era, particularly the mercenary nature of courtship where material goods are negotiated. The Count's sudden abandonment when confronted with costs—and his odd pivot to asking about the railroad strike—suggests satirical commentary on both the superficiality of wealthy unions and perhaps distracted concern among the wealthy about labor unrest affecting their interests.