The Wasp — 1895 — page 1039: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising**, not political satire. The main illustration shows "One of the San Francisco Styles"—a humorous scene depicting a photographer trying to convince two women on bicycles to pose for portraits. The women (including "Miss Minnie Wheel") are reluctant, wanting photographs to exchange with friends rather than sit for formal sittings. The joke targets the **bicycle craze** and the "New Woman" of the 1890s—independent females riding bicycles and resisting traditional photography conventions. Below the cartoon are local San Francisco business advertisements: champagne, tailoring, brewing, electrical photo-engraving, and a hotel. These ads suggest the page dates to the late 1890s, reflecting the city's commercial interests and the contemporary bicycle fad.