Judge, 1892-09-17 · page 1 of 16
Judge — September 17, 1892 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes the bicycle craze of the 1890s and safety concerns. A well-dressed man riding a "Safety" bicycle—the new design with two equal-sized wheels (versus the dangerous high-wheel penny-farthing)—encounters chaos on a country road to Washington. The bicyclist is beset by hazards: a runaway horse-drawn carriage labeled "Trade," a small dog, and rough road conditions. The ironic caption—"Those blooming idiots called this a Safety!"—mocks the bicycle industry's marketing claims. The cartoon suggests that despite being engineered as "safer" than older designs, bicycles still faced real dangers from traffic, animals, and infrastructure. It's commentary on the gap between advertising promises and practical reality during the bicycle boom era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOL. 23 NO.570 SEPTEMBER 17 1892. PRICE 10 CENTS Ewreneo at we Post Oprice ar New Yorn as SeconoCLass MATTER, Copymianr 1892 ay rw Juoce Pusuanigg Co, THE UNHAPPY BICYCLIST. Grover—“ Those blooming idiots called this a Safety !!" comicbooks.com }