“Why do you come in here without a cap, Sarah?” (“Judy” 1894)

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Why do you come in here without a cap, Sarah?

[Signed lower right]

Wood engraving by the Dalziels

Judy (7 February 1894): 62

Courtesy of the HathiTrust and the Harvard University Library.

“Why do you come in here without a cap, Sarah?”

“I’ve got a cap on. If you stand on a chair, Miss, you’ll see it”

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Several things become apparent to a modern reader, perhaps the most obvious being wealthy woman's aggressive insistence upon the class difference between her and her employee indicated by the servant’s uniform. We also notice that both women look very much alike. Both are attractive and of similar height — not something seen in similar cartoons from the earlier part of the nineteenth century. I’m not sure of the significance of the tinyness of the maid’s cap. Does it suggest the maid’s reluctance to wear servant's uniform, or is it jut an excuse to show both women are of similar height? – George P. Landow

Last modified 15 February 2022