Life, 1897-01-14 · page 18 of 20
Life — January 14, 1897 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon from *The Sketch* depicts bicycling as a novel leisure activity. The main figure—a portly gentleman in a top hat riding an elaborate, ornate bicycle-carriage hybrid—leads a procession of cyclists heading to the races. The humor lies in the contrast between the gentleman's elaborate, old-fashioned conveyance and the simpler bicycles ridden by his followers. The caption's specific date (1819) is anachronistic—bicycles didn't exist then—suggesting this is a contemporary joke about how ridiculous early bicycles and cyclists appeared to Victorian observers accustomed to carriages and horses. The satire likely mocks the emerging bicycle craze as an undignified, comical mode of transportation adopted by the leisured classes, particularly for social events like horse racing. The overblown carriage suggests vanity and the absurd lengths people go to maintain status while embracing new technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
\ ay LF i GOING TO THE RACES IN 1819.—From The Sketch. pvueeneneveerroacasen cuaovspraceeesseneaennesezrnnesrea new in design, all ality, all that’s olor, fashion the shirting als made by Mount Ver- non Mills. Never buy a ready- made or custom shirt, ° without asking if the fabric was made by Mount Vernon Mills. An instructive book on shirt baying sent free. MOUNT VERNON MILLS, Philadelphia. Cee: ae oo OL LDTIMEs REMEDY FO COUGHS, COLDS AND ALL BRONCHIAL AND PULMONARY AFFECTIONS. SS =a 2G ARTFORD, NEW YorRK, Those Fine English Tobaccos sires‘. rat o» ty W. D. & H. O. WILLS ot 20 Ghd famous the world over for thet be obtained for you by your dealer. If he will not get theta, write to ds, J. W. SURBRUG, Sole Agent, 159 Fulton Street, NEW YORK. Capstan Westward Ho Three Castles Gold Flake,ete. an Seat or musimens 3 ’ Saddle? Buneu'"free to any address. D4 Garford Mfg.Co. Elyria,0. 2 $00000000000000000000000008 INCOMPARABLE FOR ITS GREAT. CREAMY LUXURIOUS LATHER. |