The Wasp — 1878 — page 141: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains a serialized short story titled "Her Lord and Master" by M.R.C., not a political cartoon. The narrative depicts a romantic drama involving characters named Ethel Sinclair and Roland Hart, focusing on class tensions and romantic conflict. The story satirizes Victorian-era social dynamics: a poor but proud woman (Ethel) resists the advances of a wealthy man (Roland) due to class differences and pride. The text suggests satire of aristocratic presumption—Roland's confidence that his wealth and status entitle him to romantic conquest—and critiques "the hollow, and falsity, and cruelty of society." The piece appears to mock both the pretensions of the wealthy and the social barriers that prevent genuine connection across class lines, typical satirical concerns for a publication like *The Wasp*.