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The sculpture in the cartoon is clearly meant to be by Epstein. A real horse wouldn’t even notice what was intended by the sculptor. Nowadays we are used to this monumental style.
The woman depicted clearly has an upper middle class background but no longer lives that life-style. Eventually she will have to buckle down and do the dishes herself but she is going to put it off for as long as possible.
Instead of buying something in your size the general idea was to get your dressmaker to produce something that will fit you – whatever the size. In the long run the first option was cheaper and therefore bound to become the general rule. The husband’s anticipated reaction is a case in point.