The Wasp — 1895 — page 660: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon "Converts of the Wheel" depicts a mustachioed man (identified in caption as "Manager Gottlob") surrounded by cyclists in various poses. The satire mocks the bicycle craze of the era—the caption notes that bicycles were becoming ubiquitous annoyances in cities, with riders monopolizing streets and elevators. The cartoon suggests that even skeptics were being "converted" to cycling despite its social disruptions. The accompanying text criticizes how bicycles cluttered urban spaces and lacked safety regulations, suggesting bicycle parking facilities in stores might remedy the problem. The joke positions cycling as an unstoppable fad that even resistant figures like Gottlob cannot escape, reflecting late-1890s anxieties about rapid technological change reshaping city life.