The Wasp — 1895 — page 66: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon from *The Wasp* (January 26, 1895) depicts a street scene where a woman on a bicycle is being confronted by several men. The caption identifies her as "Miss Skokcher" and indicates she's "insisting the autocrat of the crossing by three inches." The satire concerns turn-of-the-century bicycle culture and gender politics. The woman cyclist represents the "New Woman"—independent and claiming public space. The men's hostile reaction ("Look out there, Whiskers! Keep your eyes open, or the trolley will scoop you up sure!") mocks male anxiety about women's autonomy. The "three inches" likely references her bicycle's modest street encroachment, treated as outrageous transgression by traditionalists. The cartoon satirizes masculine indignation at women asserting themselves in previously male-dominated public spaces.