The Wasp — 1896 — page 728: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page from *The Wasp* (San Francisco's illustrated weekly satirical magazine) features a cartoon titled "Feminine Amenities Again," depicting two women with a bicycle. The joke plays on a contemporary social debate: a woman on a bicycle (labeled "Miss Wheeler") claims a male admirer ("Charlie") loves her only for her money. Her friend ("Lottie") responds that the admirer must love her for "your wheel, too"—a double entendre. "Wheel" refers both to the bicycle and slang for money/wealth. The cartoon satirizes the bicycle craze among women in the 1890s-1900s and anxieties about women's independence, mobility, and romance. It suggests women cyclists faced suspicion that they attracted suitors seeking financial advantage rather than genuine affection.