The Wasp — 1895 — page 629: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertisements and business listings** for San Francisco, with one small cartoon. The main cartoon shows two women in Victorian dress with a child. The dialogue reads: "LORRAINE—Say, ma, when I get to be as big as you will I ride a bicycle and be a new woman? MOTHER—No, dear. I fear you'll be an old one." This satirizes the **"New Woman"** movement of the era—women adopting bicycles, shorter skirts, and independence. The joke mocks how quickly the "New Woman" trend will seem dated, suggesting the mother fears her daughter will appear old-fashioned by cycling in the future. It's commentary on the rapid cultural shifts regarding women's roles and fashion in the 1890s. The rest of the page consists of business advertisements for cycles, fire equipment, laundries, and patent offices typical of San Francisco commerce.