The Wasp — 1895 — page 615: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is **primarily advertising** rather than political satire. The upper portion contains two photographs: one showing a group of "bloomer girls" with bicycles, and another of three competitive cyclists labeled as "Class 'A' Riders" (P. R. Mott, D. T. Whitman, and F. A. McFarland). The page's dominant feature is a large advertisement for the "March" bicycle, manufactured by Davis Cycle Co. (Chicago), celebrating it as a revolutionary cycle design that achieves lightness while maintaining strength and rigidity. A short poem titled "How She Was Won" appears, likely romanticizing cycling as a courtship activity popular during this era. The cycling content reflects the bicycle craze of the 1890s, when cycling was fashionable leisure activity, particularly notable for women's participation in "bloomers"—practical athletic wear that was socially controversial.