No illustration of the so-called "Gibson Girl" ever stirred as much conversation as The weaker sex. II by Charles Dana Gibson. Upon its publication in the late 19th or early 20th century, viewers immediately recognized Gibson’s sly inversion of gender roles—a theme that became a talking point in American and British salons alike.

The title itself is a wry nod to Victorian-era rhetoric, and contemporary critics delighted in the cartoon’s ability to both amuse and needle social conventions. While the exact date and medium remain uncertain, the work’s impact was immediate, and it is often cited in discussions of early feminist imagery in popular culture. In the scene, a group of elegantly dressed young women sits in judgment, while a cluster of anxious young men, hats in hand, await their fate. Gibson freezes the moment with his characteristic wit: the women, self-assured and composed, gaze coolly at the suitors, who fidget and blush under their collective scrutiny.

The composition reverses the traditional courtship tableau, placing the men in the vulnerable position. The crisp lines and careful arrangement of figures echo the social hierarchies of the Gilded Age, much as John Tenniel did in his satirical illustrations for Punch magazine. Here, every gesture and glance is loaded with irony, highlighting the shifting dynamics between the sexes at the turn of the century. As with many works by Charles Dana Gibson, The weaker sex.

II was likely first published as an illustration in a popular magazine, reaching a wide audience and cementing the artist’s reputation as a keen observer of social life. The original drawing’s whereabouts are unclear—many of Gibson’s originals were dispersed among private collectors or lost—but reproductions have appeared in anthologies and exhibitions devoted to the Gibson Girl phenomenon. This image stands as a testament to Gibson’s influence on both fashion and social commentary, marking a high point in his career and a milestone in the visual culture of the era.

Today, it continues to be studied as an early, witty challenge to gender stereotypes.