The Wasp — 1895 — page 666: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page mixes editorial content with advertising. The main feature is "A Cycling Experiment," a humorous dialogue about bicycle riding presented through illustrated vignettes. The satire contrasts a woman cyclist's enthusiasm for bicycles against a man's objections—he prefers horses and claims cycling is undignified. The humor plays on contemporary gender anxieties: cycling was controversial because it allowed women independence and required practical clothing (bloomers), challenging Victorian propriety. Additional sections include "Feminine Art" (a brief women's interest piece) and "A Business Woman," continuing themes about women's changing social roles. The right side is dominated by advertisements for gin, champagne, and coconut products—typical period marketing with no satirical content. The page reflects 1890s debates over women's mobility and social liberation through emerging technologies like bicycles.