The Wasp — 1896 — page 351: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising with minimal editorial content**. The main cartoon titled "A New Woman's Privilege" depicts two women—one in fashionable dress, one on a bicycle—with dialogue about getting a bicycle and a papa paying "papa his back alimony." This satirizes the "New Woman" of the 1890s: the independent, bicycle-riding female challenging traditional gender roles. The joke references both women's newfound mobility and financial independence, and the social anxiety this caused among conservatives. The bulk of the page comprises advertisements for steamship companies, tobacco products, and carnival events. The single decorative element features an owl with a bicycle, likely reinforcing the bicycle/modernity theme. This reflects The Wasp's era (late 1890s) when bicycles symbolized women's liberation and social change.