Judge — June 8, 1895 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes the early bicycle craze and its social implications, likely from the 1890s. The top cartoon shows a horse lying injured outside a stable, with the joke that vehicles (trolley, cable car, bicycle) now threaten the butcher's shop more than horses do—suggesting bicycles' disruptive impact on traditional transportation and commerce. The middle cartoon depicts a woman in bloomers (scandalous split pants worn for cycling) discussing road conditions with a man. The humor mocks both the impracticality of early cycling infrastructure and the controversy surrounding women wearing bloomers—then considered immodest. The bottom cartoon shows cyclists advocating for "Good Roads," illustrated as a political candidate supported by bicycle enthusiasts. This references the actual "Good Roads Movement," where cyclists lobbied for improved infrastructure, making their advocacy a subject of mockery in this satirical magazine.