Working class men and women congregated at these places after a long day at work in order to relax and spend time with new and old friends. Before this time, men commonly looked objectified women. By using these two works as a fragmented example, one may be able to see that men do not actually create the scene in these works, but that the women are the ones who stand out. In “Ada Lundberg,” the men look on respectfully as a woman sings. She controls the situation in this image as she is aiding them in unwinding after a hard day’s work. Similarly, in “To Every Man A Damsel Or Two,”a role reversal occurs as a woman invites a man to sit with her and proceeds to take advantage of him, using his money for more alcohol and quickly dismissing him once he has bought her a drink. She even steals a trophy – a flower that was pinned to his jacket. In this story she has all the power in the situation and the man, who is new to this type of social situation, and is left dazed and confused by the end of the encounter. After viewing these pieces from The Yellow Book volumes 3 and 4, one may be able to see that at this time men and women were almost equal and in terms of their social choices and interactions as women were treated and perceived as mostly equal to men.

    Music halls in the 1890s were places for people to come and relax. A performer would stand on the stage with a captive audience surrounding them. They were embellished somewhat, with plush décor and seats, though mostly middle class and working class people frequented these places. Higher class people frowned upon music halls as they served alcohol and the the working class was connected with alcohol abuse (Vicinus, 1999). At times the halls could be loud and the people could be eccentric. But for the working class, these places were important because it is here that they had the ability to partake in something that only higher class people had access to. They were able to relax with their friends in a new type of social situation.

    Walter Richard Sickert was born in 1860 in Germany. He and his family moved to London soon after he was born, in 1868. Both his father and grandfather were painters, and at a young age he also began to paint. In 1882 he was given the opportunity to work with Degas. Sickert mostly enjoyed using thick paint as it allowed him to portray textures and convey movement. His favourite things to paint were “were urban scenes and figure compositions, especially pictures of the theatre and music hall and drab domestic interiors,” the topic of this painting, “Ada Lundberg” as well (Oxford Index).

    In this image from The Yellow book volume 2, one is able to note the literal male gaze, as the men stare at the woman in the middle of the frame. At first, one may assume they are gossiping, but they are actually watching her. She is a grand singer at a music hall in Britain, and she and her voice are the centre of attention. The working class men wear rounded hats and the tallest man’s tie is askew, something that someone of a higher class would never be seen with. This photo emphasizes the idea that men come to listen to the music to unwind after a day of work. They also seem to be respectful and to be enjoying her music. The woman in the photo seems to be wearing a fancier hat, but her hair pokes out of the side, alluding to her proletariat lifestyle. This halftone engraving was originally a coloured acrylic painting, part of a private collection.

    Male gaze in this image is clear and direct. Looking at the image from one angle, one can see the literal meaning of the word – men staring at a female singer. But this idea extends past such a straight forward nature. In their eyes she could be nothing more than a figure of entertainment. If she was not dressed the part or if her singing was not to their liking they had the ability to boo or dismiss her. Instead, in the 1890s, men had begun to look past these things. They instead seemed more interesting in speaking with their friends and relaxing after work. This easygoing and less critical attitude towards women allowed them to begin to frequent such places and establish themselves there.

    Arthur Cosslett Smith wrote in a group with two other men and together called themselves V.,O.,C.S.. Arthur Cosslett Smith was originally from Rochester. He was unlike other writers of his time who looked at tradition as their reason to write. Instead, Smith spent time at the “Naval Academy of Annapolis” in his younger years, learning about the new world. He had a Law Degree from Columbia University and had also gone to Hobart College. He practiced law for many years but was also an avid writer. He traveled often and once while in London he grew to like The Yellow Book. Smith then chose to live in London. He died in 1926. His writing was called “delightfully un-American” by Vincent Starrett (Oxford Index).

    In his short story, “To Every Man A Damsel Or Two,” Smith depicts a man who is going on his first trip to a music hall. He seems a bit overwhelmed at the whole affair. He meets a woman who beckons him over after she laughs at him with another man, possibly noting his unsure demeanor. He does not stay for long and after spending a few florins on alcohol for the lady, she deems him too rude and waves him away and he is left confused after she pushes him out of the hall. He is unable to re-enter and as he walks away he realizes that the flower that was in his jacket pocket has disappeared. Interestingly enough, the O. in V.,O.,C.S., stands for Oswald Sickert who is the younger brother of the painter of “Ada Lundberg,” Walter Sickert.

In this story one can see a role reversal. Behaviour one may attribute to a man is actually from a scheming women. In this story the woman is depicted as the centre of attention once again and controls the evening. She uses some of her sexual appeal and basically objectifies herself in order to lure in unsuspecting men. Before the 1890s, men mostly objectified women and only spoke to them in hopes of becoming attached to them, but in the 1890s, the atmosphere was more conducive to friendship. Most people made friends or brought friends with them to music halls. Unfortunately, in this story the man was alone and was taken advantage of. 

    The perception of women through the male gaze has been looked at comparatively through many works. This is a long standing idea, Men perceive women as vulnerable and constantly objectify them – even in todays society. In the time of The Yellow Book, women were on the rise. They were hard workers and played an important role in the economy. They were also becoming bolder. Many women would go out with their friends to places like music or dance halls. Here they would inevitably encounter men. This context is an interesting and important one because in situations like these, one may be able to see an example of the shift of male to an equal or female dominated society. The women no longer went to these events to find a man but instead went to have fun with friends which was a very interesting idea. Through the patriarchy, men were commonly viewed as more than women, and though history they have taken this idea and exploited it. They try to show their dominance over women and are commonly left confused when it does not end the way they thought it would. Although, in the 1890s women began to feel more comfortable within themselves and confident and were able to take charge of themselves. 

    Women in "Ada Lundberg" by Walter Sickert and "To Every Man a Damsel Or Two" by Arthur Cosslett Smith defy the idea of a male gaze. They are women who are at the centre of their own story. These are just two examples of a turning of societal norms in places such as the music hall. Together, women of this time begun to break out of their shells and develop unique personalities within social scenarios. In these two works the women are the centre of attention and are still connected to men, but are no longer objectified by them. The phallocentric culture is slowly disappearing and instead a more equal society takes its place.