The Wasp — 1896 — page 806: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page combines advertising for a San Francisco history special edition with a satirical cartoon titled "Mere Incidents." The cartoon depicts two cyclists—identified as "Jack Scorcher" and "Susie Blimmer"—after an accident. Jack appears relatively unscathed, while Susie catalogs extensive damage: bent wheel, broken chain, torn clothes, broken ribs and collar bone, with only her shoes and cap undamaged. The satire likely mocks gender disparities in bicycle safety or the vulnerability of women cyclists (note her dress), contrasting Jack's casual dismissal ("Had quite a smash-up, eh?") against Susie's serious injuries. This reflects late-19th/early-20th-century debates about women cycling and appropriate attire, presenting the "incident" as revealing gender inequities in a supposedly modern activity.