The Wasp — 1896 — page 333: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes the late-1890s cycling craze by depicting an exaggerated female cyclist in bloomer pants on a street. The caption states "Bloomers and wheels come high, but they all must have them on the Potrero as well as Nob Hill"—referencing San Francisco's wealthy Nob Hill neighborhood and the working-class Potrero district. The joke targets how bicycle fashion had spread across all social classes. The caricatured woman's exaggerated features and awkward posture mock both the fashionable "New Woman" adopting cycling and bloomers (then scandalous), and the indiscriminate adoption of expensive leisure activities across society. The dog and onlookers suggest public spectacle surrounding this trend.